12 THE MASTER OF GAME

stondyng and that oper yleyde lowe vpon her
ryge she ferep but litel be houndes. An hare p*
crompes hure tayle ypon hure rumpe whan she
sterteth out of here fourme asa conyng it is token
she is stronge and wele rennyng. The hare renneth
in mony dyuerse maners, for summe rennen in al
pat euyr pei may hale ii myle or iii, and after
rennep and rysethe agayn and abidep stille, Whan
pei mow no more, and lateth hem self by byten
perof she haue not be say of al pe day. And
sumtyme she latep hure be ybite at pe first tyme
pat she sterteth for she hab no more my3t, and
somme renneth a litel while, and than abiden and
squattep, and that don pei oft, and than pei taken
her flight pe while pei mowe renne or pei be dede,
And som per be pat abidep to pei ybit in here
forme and specially whan pei ben yong pat pei
haue not passid half a yere. Men knowen in pat
opere side of pe hares legge whan she is passid a
yere,' and men shuld know of an hounde or of a
fox, And of a woolf by a lytel boon pat pei han
by pe boon pat is next pe Synewes, where pere is a
litel pitte, And sumtyme whan pei ben hunted
with houndes pei rennen in to pe hoolis as a
conyng, or in to pe halowe trees, or pei passen a
grete reuere. JHloundes folowyn not so wele pe
hares some as some dop for iiii resouns, what
hares be ygote wip pe kynde of a cony as some be
in pe wareieis the houndes lust nor senteth hom
not so welle. That opere for pe fues of some hares
ben of hatter sent pan somme, and perfore the
houndes senteth of on more pan of oper; as of
Rooses somme smellen better oon pan oper, And
3it pei ben alle roses. The oper ben pei pat stelyn
away or pei be founde, pat pe houndes folowen
alway forthe ryghte3, pe opere rennen goyng about
and pan abideth.” Wherfore pe houndes ben pe
ofter on stynt, The ober is aftir be contre pat pei
rennen inne, for 3if pei renne in Couert be houndes
shal sent hem bettir pan 3if pei renne in playn
contre, or in pe way, for in pe Couerte pei touchen
hure bodies agayn pe twigges or leeves for pe
stronge contre, and whan pei rennen in pe playne
contre or in pe feeldes pei touche noon but wip pe
foot, and perfore pe houndes may not so wel sent
pe fues of hem, and also I say pat some contre
is more suete and more louyng than oper. The
hare abidep comonly in oo contre and if she haue
felowship of anoper, eiper of hire kyndels, or len
rettis, pei be v. or vi., for no strange hare shal pei
neuere suffre come dwelle in hure marchesse, pot
pei be of here nature.* And perfore men sayn in
olde sawes, who so huntep most pe hares moost

1 See Appendix: Hare.
3 The Shirley MS. has the same, but G. de F., p. 45, has,

upright and the other laid low on her back, she
fears but little the hounds. An hare that crumps
her tail upon her rump when she starteth out of
her form as a rabbit does it is a sign that she is
strong and can run well. The hare runneth in
many different ways, for some run all they are
able a whole two miles or three, and after run and
ruse again and then stop still when they can no
more, and let themselves be bitten (by the hounds),
although she may not have been seen all the day.
And sometimes she letteth herself be bitten the
first time that she starteth, for she has no more
strength. And some run a little while and then
abide and squat, and that they do oft. And
then they take their flight as long as they can run
till they are dead. And some be that abide in
their form till they be taken, especially when they
be young that have not passed half a year. Men
know by the outer side of the hare’s leg if she is
passed a year.1 And so men should know of a
hound, of a fox, and of a wolf, by a little bone
that they have in a bone which is next the sinews,
where there is a little cavity.

Sometimes when they are hunted with hounds
they run into a hole as a coney, or into hollow
trees, or else they pass a great river. Hounds do
not follow some hares as well as others, for four
reasons. When hares are begotten of the kind of
a coney, aS some are in warrens, the hounds lust
not nor scenteth them so well. The other is that
the fues (footing) of some hares carry hotter scent
than some, and therefore the hounds scent one more
than the other, as of roses, some smell better than
others, and yet they are all roses. The other
reason is that they steal away ere they be found,
and the hounds follow always right ahead. The
others run rioting and turning, and then stop,’ so
that the hounds are often on stynt (at fault). The
other reason is according to the country they run
in, for if they run in covert, hounds will scent
them better than if they run in plain (open) country,
or in the paths, for in the covert their bodies touch
against the twigs and leaves. And when they run
in plain country or in fields they touch nothing,
but with the foot, and therefore the hounds can
not so well scent their fues. And also I say that
some country is more sweet and more loving (to
scent) than another. The hare abideth commonly
in one country, and if she hath the fellowship of
another or of her kyndels or leverettes, they be
five or six, they will allow no strange hare to dwell
in their marches (district), though they be of their
kind,® and therefore men say in old saws: “ Who

2 G. d. F. has: ‘‘ vonts riotans tournians et demourant,” p. 44.
“except those of their nature” (fors que celle de leur nature).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OF THE HARE AND OF HER NATURE ag

hal he fynde of hem for Phebus Erle of Foys pe
good huntere seip pat whane per bene fewe hares in
a Countre pei shul be hunted and slayn, for pe
hares of opere contre about shul come in pat
marche. Of hares soom goon fastere and ben
strongere pan oper as of men and of oper bestis,
And also pe pasture and pe contre where pei
abiden, helpep moch perto, for whan an hare
abidep and formeth in a playn contre per as no
busshes be suche hares ben comonly strengest and
wel rennyng, And also whan pei pasturen of too
herbes pat oon is clepyd Soepol’ and pat oper
Pulegiun® pei be stronge and fast rennyng. The
hares han no sesoun of her loue, for as I said it is
cleped rydyng tyme, for in euery month of the
yere ne shal not be pat some ne be with kyndeles.
Narpelasse commonly here most loue is in the
monythe of Januere, and in pat monyth pei rennen
moost fast of eny tyme of the yere, both mascle
and femel. And fro May in to Septembre pei ben
moost slaw, for pei ben most fulle of herbes, and
of fruytes, eiper pei ben grete and ful of kyndeles.
And comonly in pat tyme pei haue her kyndeles.
The hares abiden in sondry contre, al after pe sesoun
of the yere, somtyme pei sitten in the feerne,
somtyme in the hethe, and in the pe (sic) corn and
in growyng wedis and somtyme in the wodes. In
Aueryll and in May, Whan pe corn is so longe pat
pei mowe hide hem self perinne, gladly pei wil
sitte perynne, And whan men bygynne to repe pe
corn pei wil sitte in pe vynes and in oper stronge
hethes, and in busshes and in hegges, and alway
comynly in pe couert vndir pe wynde, and in
Couert of pe Reyne, and 3if ther be eny sonne
shyneng pei wil gladly sitt azeinst pe beme of pe
sonne, for an hare of his owyn kynd knowep pe
nyght bifore what wheder shal be on the next
morow, and perfore she kepep hure in the best
wyse pat she may for pe euele wedir. The hare
berep ii monthes® her kyndels, and whan pei han
kyndeled pei likken her kyndels as a biche doothe
here whelpes, and pan she rennep a grete way
pennes and goop to seke the male, for 3if pei shuld
abide with her kyndles pei shuld gladly eten hem
and if thei fynde not be pei commen ajen to her
kyndeles a grete while after and yeue hem to
souke and norssh hem pe mountnance of xx dayes
or perabout. An hare bereth comonlyche ij
kyndelz, but I haue sey some whiche han kyndeled
at ones somtyme vi., somtyme v., somtyme iiii.,
somtyme ii.‘ and but she fynde the male wip ynne

t Thymus Serpyllum (Wild Thyme).

® This is incorrect :
vol. i. p. 504).

* Should read “ three.” (G. d. F., p. 47.)

hunteth the most hares shall find the most.” For
Phebus the Earl of Foix, that good hunter, saith
that when there are few hares in a country they
should be hunted and slain, so that the hares from
other countries should come there.

Of hares, some be faster and some stronger
than others, as it is of men and other beasts. Also

the pasture and the country where they abide
helpeth much thereto. When the hare abideth
and formeth in a plain country where there are
no bushes, such hares are commonly strongest and
well-running. Also when they pasture on two
herbs—that one is called wild thyme’ and that
other pennyroyal,” they are strong and fast running.

The hares have no season of their love for, as I
said, it is called ryding time, for there is not a month
in the year that you will not find some that be with
kindles (young). Nevertheless, commonly their love
is most in the month of January, and in that
month they run faster than at any other time of the
year, both male and female. And from May unto
September they be most slow, for then they are full
of herbs and of fruits, or they be great and full of
kindles, and commonly in that time they have their
kindles. Hares remain in sundry parts of the country,
according to the season of the year, for sometimes
they sit in the fern, sometimes in the heath, some-
times in the corn, and in growing weeds, and some-
times in the woods. In April and in May when
the corn is so long that they can hide themselves
therein, gladly will they sit therein. And when
men begin to reap the corn they sit in the vineyards
and in other thick heaths, in bushes and in hedges,
and commonly in cover under the wind and in
cover from the rain, and if there be any sun shin-
ing they will gladly sit in the beams of the sun.
For a hare of its own kind knoweth the night
before what weather it will be on the morrow, and
therefore she keepeth herself the best way that she
may from the bad weather. The hare beareth
her kindles two months,? and when they are
kindled she licketh her kindles as a bitch doeth
herwhelps. Then she runneth a great way thence,
and goeth to seek the male, for if they should
abide with her kindles they would gladly eat them.
And if she finds not the male, she cometh again to her
kindles a great while after and giveth them to suck,
and nourisheth them for the extent of 20 days or
thereabouts. A hare beareth commonly 2 kindles.
but I have seen some which have kindled at once
sometime 6, sometime 5, or 4 or 2;* and but she

?

* Menther Pulegiwm (Penny Royal).

the hare carries her young thirty days (Brehm, vol. ii. p. 626; Harting, “ Ency. of Sport,”