OF THE HARE AND OF HER NATURE 11

pe sleyng of hym wip strength is a faire ping, for
it a gret maistre for pe gynnes that she doth.
Whan an hare rysep out of here fourme for to go
to hure pasture or rysep agayn to hure sittyng
comonlich by oon way, pere as she gop she wil
suffre no twyge ne no grasse be which may touche
hure for rathere she brekip it tethe and makep
hure way. Som tyme she sittep from hure here
pastureng a myle or more, and somtyme nye hure
pasture. But whan she sittep nye it shal not be
pat she ne shal go about pe mountance of half a
myle or more from pennes pat she shal I-pastured
(sic), and pan she reusep agayn fro hure pasture, and
whider she go sitt nye or ferre from hure pasture
she goop to gynnously and wyleli pat ther nys no
mann in this world pat wold say that ony hounde
myght vndo pat she hath doon, ne pat shuld
fynde hure. For she shal go a bowe shot or more
by o way, and ryse agayn by anoper, and pan she
shal take hure way by anoper syde, and pe same
shal she do x. or xii. or xx" tymes, from pennes
she shal come to sume hegge or strougth and shale
make semblaunt perto abide, and per she shal
make crosse waies x. Or xii. tymes and per she shal
make hure ruses from thens she shal take som
fals bypath, and shal pens a gret way and such
semblaunt she shal make many tymes or p*' she go
to hure sutyng. The hare ne hap no Jugement
neiper by foot ne by here fumes, for alle way she
croteith’ in oon manere, saue whan she goth in
hure loue pat hunters callen ryding tyme, for pan
she croteith hure fumes more ybrend’ and smaller,
and namely pe masche.® The hare lyueth no long
tyme for wip grete poynt may she passe be secound*
yere, thow she be not hunted ne slayn. She hap
euel syght® and gret fere to renne® for pe greet
drought of here synewes.’ She wyndeth fere for
men whan they seche hure.* And the houndes
greden of hure and questeie she fleep away for
fere that she hap of the houndis. Somtyme men
fynde hure sittyng in hure fourme, and sumtyme
she is bete with houndes in hure fourme or she
stert. They pat abyden til they be founde in the
forme or she stert comonly pei be stowte haris,
and wel rennyng. The hare that rennep with
right stondyng seres is but litel aferd and is strong,
and 3it whan she holdep pat oone oore vpryght

1 Casting her excrements.

* Masche, mascle, maskle; male.

* A mistake of the old scribes which occurs al

F. has the correct version.
© CG, Gl, 1, Says ©

6 7 - a
Fear to run” is a mistake occasioned b

not ~ fear.” Lavallée in his introduction
" Whenever the compiler of the “Mas

® Possibly this rendering of the old text i
; Ossi 1s not co
little wind.” Elle sent pou et a trop pou de vent.

the slaying of him with strength (of hounds) is
a fair thing, for it requireth great mastery on

account of her cunning. When a hare ariseth out

of her form to go to her pasture or return again
to her seat, she usually goes by one path, and as
she goes she will not suffer any twig or grass to
touch her, for she will sooner break it with her

teeth and make her path. Sometime she seateth
a mile or more from her pasturing, and sometimes
near her pasturing. But when she sitteth near
it yet she may have been the amount of half a mile
or more from there where she hath pastured, and
then she ruseth again from her pasture. And
whether she go to sit near or far from her pasture
she goes so cunningly and wilily that there is no
man in this world that would say that any hound
can unravel that which she has done, or that
could find her. For she will go the length of a bow
shot or more by one way, and ruse again by another,
and then she shall take her way by another side,
and the same she shall do ten, twelve, or twenty
times, then she will come into some hedge or
strength (thicket), and shall make semblance to
abide there, and then will make cross roads ten
or twelve times, and will make her ruses, and
thence she will take some false path, and shall
go thence a great way, and such semblance she
will make many times before she goes to her seat.
The hare cannot be judged, either by the foot
or by her fumes (droppings), for she always crotieth*
in one manner, except when she goes in her love
that hunters call ryding time, for then she crotys
her fumes drier? and smaller, especially the male.
The hare lives no long time, for with great pain
may she pass the second* year, though she be not
hunted or slain. She hath bad sight® and great
power to run® on account of the great dryness of
her sinews.’ She scents men from afar when they
seek her.6 When hounds seek her and hunt her
she flies away for the fear that she hath of the
hounds. Sometimes men find her sitting in her
form, and sometimes she is bitten (taken) by hounds
in her form before she starts. They that remain
in the form until they are started are commonly
strong hares, and well running. The hare that
runs with up-standing ears is but little afraid,
and is strong. When she holds one ear standing

* Ybrend, burnt, Mid. Eng. brennen, to burn or dry up.

so in other MSS. ; it should, of course, read “seventh” year. G. de

“She hears well but has bad sight,” p. 43.

“ ” th i i = i i n
paour” or fear. In those of the original rae eae of the two old French words, “ pouair, power, and

. d. F. examined by us it is certainly “ power” and

Says the same thing. See Appendix: Hare.
ter of Game” uses the word “ sinews,” G. d. F. uses “ nerves.”
Trect.

G. de F. (p. 43), “She can smell but little and has toa