The Royal Pastime of Cock-Fighting: The Art of Breeding, Feeding, Fighting, and Curing Cocks of the Game

This 1899 publication preserves an early 18th-century treatise on what was once considered a dignified aristocratic pursuit. The author, writing as a devotee of the "royal pastime" and friend to military discipline, offers a comprehensive manual covering the breeding, feeding, training, and medical treatment of game cocks. The text treats its subject with genuine seriousness, presenting cockfighting not merely as sport but as a practice that cultivated courage and refined character in those who mastered its arts. Beyond practical instruction, the work functions as an earnest apologia. R. H. traces cockfighting's lineage through classical antiquity and the English aristocracy, arguing that critics misunderstand its noble purpose. The dedication to Sir T. V. celebrates his family's generations of devotion to the sport, positioning cockfighting as a venerable tradition deserving preservation rather than condemnation. Today the text serves as a fascinating artifact of a vanished social world, illuminating how earlier generations of the English gentry understood their pleasures, their values, and their relationship to animals. It will appeal to readers interested in the history of sport, the evolution of attitudes toward animal welfare, and the peculiar ways tradition and morality interact.