SEER sa ee RE = STTOS CAPITULUM TERCIUM.—OF THE HERT AND OF HIS NATURE HERT is a commoun beast I-nowe, and perfore me nedep not to telle of his makyng, for ther ben fewe folk pat ne han seye some. ‘The hertes bene the li3test’ beestes and stronge and mervelously of grete connyng ; pei be in hure loue whiche men clepen Rutte aboute pe tyme of the holy roode * in Septembre, and bene in hure hote loue a monythe al hole, or pei be fullich out perof pei abiden ny ii monethes, and pan pei ben hardye and rennen vppon men as a wylde boor wold do and he were hunted. And pei be wondere perilous beestis for with grete payne a man shal rekeuere pat is hurt wip an herte, and perfore men seyn in olde sawes, aftir pe boor pe leche and aftere pe hert pe boor, for he smyteth as a stroke of a spryngol® for he hap grete strength in pe hede and pe body. They slene, fightene hurtethe eche with oper whan pei be in Rutte, that is to say in hure love, and pei syngen in hure langage pat in Engelond hunters callen Belowyng as man that louethe paramoure.* The sleen houndes and horses and men in the same tyme and turnep home to pe abay as a boor specially when pei be wery. And 3it haue men ° seyn at the partyng of liggyng ° pat he hathe hurt pat folowyn aftere and also pe grey houndes’ and ferpermore a courser. And 3it whan they be in Rutte, whiche is to say hure loue, in a Forest where be fewe hyndes and many hertes or male dere, pan pei sleen hurten and fighten eche with other, for eueryche wil be maistere of pe hyndes, and comonly pe grettest herte and the most strong holdep pe Rutte and is maister perof. And whan he is wel pured and hap belonge as pe Rutte, alle other hertes pat he hap chased and flemed a way fro pe Rutte pei rennen vppon hym and sleen hym and pat is sothe, and in parkes it may be preuyd for per shal be no seson pat pe greet hert ne shal be slayne with pe opere, nat while pat he is at the Rutte but whan he is withdraw and is poor of loue. In the woodes may pei not so oft slee eche othere as pei done in pe playne cuntre. And also ther is dyuerse Ruttes in pe forest and in pe parke* may 1 Swiftest. 5 An engine of war used for throwing stones. OF THE HART AND HIS NATURE CHAP. 3.—OF THE HART AND HIS NATURE THE hart is a common beast enough and therefore me needeth not to tell of his making, for there be few folk that have not seen some. The harts are the lightest ! beasts and strongest, and of marvellous great cunning. They are in their love, which men call rut, about the time of the Holy Rood? in Sep- tember and remain in their hot love a whole month and ere they be fully out thereof they abide (in rut) nigh two months. And then they are bold, and run upon menasa wild boar would doif he were hunted. And they be wonderfully perilous beasts, for with great pain shall a man recover that is hurt by a hart, and therefore men say in old saws: “after the boar the leech and after the hart the bier.” Forhesmiteth as the stroke of the springole,’ for he has great strength in the head and the body. They slay, fight and hurt each other, when they are in rut, that is to say in their love, and they sing in their language that in England hunters call bellowing as man that loveth paramour.* They slay hounds and horses and men at that time and turn to bay as a boar does especially when they be weary. And yet have men® seen them as they start from their lair® that they have hurt him that followeth after, and also the greyhounds’ and furthermore a courser. And yet when they are in rut, which is to say in their love, in a forest where there be few hinds and many harts or male deer, they slay, hurt and fight with each other, for each would be master of the hinds. And commonly the greatest hart and the strongest holdeth the rut and is master thereof. And when he is well purged and hath been long at rut all the other harts that he hath chased and put to flight from the rut then run upon him and slay him, and that is the truth. And in parks this may be proved, for there is never a season but the greatest hart will be slain by the others not while he is at rut, but when he has withdrawn and is poor of love. In the woods they do not so often slay each other as they do in the plains. And also there are divers ruts in the forest, but in the parks there are none but that are within the park.§ 2 September 14. See Appendix: Hart, Seasons. a Coren) “ Ainsi i re Leas Ainsi que fet un homme bien amoureus ” (“As does a man much in love’’). ° G. d. F., p. 12, has “I have seen.” ® This word ligging is still in usé in Yorkshire “layer.” Fortescue, p. 132. * This passage is confusing. en divers lieux de la forest et on paix ne peut estre 2 meaning lair, or bed, or resting-place. In Devonshire it is spelt "G. d. B., p. 12, has “ limer ” instead of “ greyhound.” In G. d. F., p. 12, we find that the passage runs: “Et aussi il y a ruyt en nul lieu, fors que dedans le part.” Lavallée trans-