The School of Recreation (1684 edition)

In Short

A XVII-century instructional manual, The School of Recreation details twelve gentlemanly pastimes, ranging from field sports like hunting, hawking, and angling to indoor games like billiards and tennis, as well as the technical art of change ringing. The book provides step-by-step instructions for breeding hounds, training horses, baiting hooks, and managing intricate bell-ringing sequences. It has endured as a rich historical document of Restoration-era leisure, capturing how early modern sports blended practical craft, natural philosophy, and social ritual.

The Story

The book opens with a theological framework that positions recreation as a divine privilege. After the Fall, humanity retains stewardship over animals and the natural world, granting gentlemen the right to refresh their minds through sports. From this foundation, the narrative transitions into systematic instructional guides, beginning with the field.

The author first explores hunting, detailing how to breed specific kennels depending on the desired outcome—balancing speed, endurance, and the musical quality of the pack's cry. He outlines the distinct strategies required for tracking different game, such as reading the freshness of a hare's seat or managing hounds during a long chase. The focus then shifts to fowling and hawking, explaining how to capture wild birds using nets, lime-straws, and trained raptors. Instructions for hawking cover the care, naming, and gentle "manning" of various species to render them obedient to their handlers.

Horsemanship and equestrian training form the next phase of instruction. The guide provides specific routines for pacing, trotting, and galloping horses in tight geometric patterns to instill discipline, alongside methods for stopping and advancing on command. Moving from large livestock to small animals, the text covers game fowl management, outlining rigorous six-week diets, conditioning regimens, and sparring schedules to prepare cocks for the pit.

The outdoor section concludes with angling and archery. The author details the construction of tackle, from dyeing hair lines to shaping cork floats for different water conditions. He surveys various fish species and their preferred baits, while defending archery through historical examples of its military and cultural importance across various civilizations.

Finally, the text moves indoors to urban and indoor pursuits. It covers tennis, balloon, billiards, and the complex art of bell ringing. In change ringing, the author breaks down the mathematical patterns of cross-peals and bell movements. The treatise finishes with practical rules for billiards before reminding readers to engage in all games with moderation and sound ethics.

How It Unfolds

Man's dominion established The author grounds all leisure in a post-Edenic charter, arguing that taming animals and pursuing sports allows humanity to glorify the Creator's wisdom through the study of nature.

Harmonizing the kennel Instructions dictate how to cross-breed regional hounds to craft a pack with balanced speed, scent tracking, and a musically harmonious blend of deep, ringing, and whining cries.

Subduing the hawk The handler tames long-winged and short-winged raptors through sleep deprivation, constant carrying on the fist, and gentle facial expressions until the bird grows accustomed to human presence.

Riding the Roman S Equestrians train their horses on sand or plowed fields, guiding them through circular patterns and figure-eight loops to teach precise turns, stops, and controlled advances.

Conditioning the gamecock A strict six-week regimen prepares cocks using specialized herbal butter mashes, bread diets, controlled sweating inside straw baskets, and gradual sparring routines.

Crafting the angle Anglers learn to assemble custom fishing gear, including how to dye horsehair lines in ale and soot, select quills or shaped corks for floats, and match baits to specific fish.

Mastering the cross-peal The treatise explains the mathematical systems behind bell ringing, demonstrating how a single "hunt" bell guides intricate permutations like the "City Delight" across sets of six or eight bells.

Navigating the billiard table The guide concludes with tactics for indoor play, teaching players how to position their balls, pass the port, and force opponents into hazards without knocking down the king.

The People

• The Gentleman Sportsman: The intended reader and primary figure, seeking health, mental relaxation, and mastery over nature through disciplined, skillful leisure.
• The Master of the Kennel: The strategist who breeds and tunes hounds like a musical ensemble, balancing deep base tones with loud counter-tenor cries to achieve a perfect cry.
• The Falconer: A patient trainer who uses gentle, continuous contact and smiling expressions to calm wild hawks without breaking their spirit.
• The Ringer: A mathematical practitioner who studies complex bell permutations, using physical effort to ring change-peals like "The City Delight" while maintaining precise timing.
• The Angler: A methodical craftsman who prepares custom tackle, dyes lines to match water clarity, and reads river conditions to outwit cautious fish like carp and chub.

In Its Own Voice

"Then twice so many roaring, loud ringing Mouths, as the Counter-Tenor: And lastly, some hollow plain sweet Mouths, as the Mean: So shall your Cry be perfect."

The author explains how to select hounds with different voices so the entire kennel creates a harmonious, multi-layered sound during a hunt.

"Accustome to gaze, and look in their Face with a Loving, Smiling, Gentle Countenance; and that will make her acquainted, and familiar with Man."

Describing the process of manning a hawk, the text emphasizes gentle, personal interaction to tame the wild bird.

"In which this Observation is highly necessary, That the two Notes of every Concord must constantly attend each other in their Motion; that is, whenever one of the two Notes moves, the other must follow it."

This passage outlines the rules of change ringing, showing how bells must move in synchronized pairs across complex musical patterns.

What It's Really About

Beneath its practical rules, The School of Recreation is an argument for order, mastery, and the transformation of wild nature into structured art. The book frames human dominance over animals not as brute force, but as a refined skill requiring observation, patience, and deep understanding of natural instincts.

It presents physical sports as essential tools for preserving health and expelling bad humors caused by idleness. By applying mathematical rigor to change ringing and musical theory to hunting kennels, the text reflects an early modern impulse to categorize, systematize, and elevate traditional pastimes into disciplined intellectual crafts.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in social history, early sports, or XVII-century literature will find The School of Recreation a fascinating artifact. Reading it feels like stepping directly into the Restoration countryside, where the air is filled with hound cries, bell chimes, and the rustle of riverbeds. It offers a clear window into how early modern society viewed animals, leisure, and personal health.

The text presents some friction for the contemporary reader. Archaic spelling, XVII-century terminology, and long technical sections on bell permutations require patience. Additionally, period attitudes toward animal sports—such as cock-fighting, ferreting, and bird-liming—reflect historical practices that clash sharply with modern ethics regarding animal welfare.

Despite these challenges, the book remains engaging for its vivid detail and energetic prose. It captures the exact moment when informal outdoor pursuits were first codified into formal handbooks, revealing how past generations sought balance, health, and delight in their daily lives.