20 THE MASTER OF GAME

myddel of pe water for cause pat pe houndes
shuld not sent of hym. And al pat dop he for 1j
resouns bifore saide. And whan he may fynde
no Ryuers pan he drawep hym to greete stankes!
and laies or to grete morsshes, and he fleep pen
myghttyly and fer fro the houndes, it is to say pat
he be a grete way from hem,” and pan he wil go
into pe Stank and shal soile hym perinne oo turne
or tweyn in al pe Stank, and pan he shal come out
a3eyn by pe same waye pat he come inne and he
shal ruse a3ein pe same waye pat he come a bowe
shoot or moore and pan he shal ruse out of pe
way for to stalle® or quatte ‘ to rest hym, and pat
he doop for he knowethe well pat the houndes
shal come by pe fues into pe Stange where he was.
And whan pei shuld fynde pat he is goo no
ferpere pan pei shuld seche hym no ferpere, for
pei shul wel knowe pat pei haue be pere oper
tymes.” An hert lyuop lengest of eny beest for
he may wel lyve anc. yere,® and pe eldere he is,
pe fairere he is of body and of heed and more
lecherous, but he is not so swift ne so li3t ne so
myghty. And 3it mony men seyn but I make
non affirmacioun vpon pat whan he is ryght olde
he hetyth a serpent wip his foote til she be
wrothe, and pan he oteth hure and pan goop drynk,
and pan he rennethe hidere and pidere to pe watir,
and venyin be medled togydere and makep hym
cast al his euel humours pat he had in his body
and makep his flesshe come al newe.’ The heed
of be hert bereth meedecyne a3enst pe hardnes of
pe synewes® and is good to take away alle aches
namely whan pe ben come of cold. And is pe
marie,’ that pei haue aboue withe in pe hert pe
whiche hap grete medycine for he comfortep pe
hert pe whiche helpep for pe cardyacle and mony
oper binges, pe whiche were to longe to wryte, pe
whiche bere medecyne and byn profitable in mony
dyuerse maners. pe hert is more wyse in two
pinges pan eny man or eny other beest pat on is in
tastyng of herbes for he hathe better taast and
better sauerep and smellep pe good herbes and
louos and oper pastures and metynges’° be which
ben profitable to hym better pan eney man or
beest That oper is pat he hab more witte and
malice to saue hym self pan eny opere beest or
man for per nys noon so good hunter in pe world
whiche may Penk pe grete malice, and gynnes" pat
an hert can do, ne per nys non so good hunter ne
soo good houndes, pat mony tymes faillen to sle
pe hert and pat is by is wytt and by his malice and

Ponds, pools. See Appendix: Stank.

water, so that the hounds should not scent of him.
And all that doth he for two reasons before said.

And when he can find no rivers then he draweth
to great stanks’ and meres or to great marshes,
And he fleeth then mightily and far from the
hounds, that is to say that he hath gone a great
way from them,” then he will go into the stank,
and will soil therein once or twice in all the stank
and then he will come out again by the same way
that he went in, and then he shall ruse again the
same way that he came (the length of) a bow shot
or more, and then he shall ruse out of the way,
for to stall® or squatt* to rest him, and that he doeth
for he knoweth well that the hounds shall come
by the fues into the stank where he was. And
when they should find that he has gone no further
they will seek him no further, for they will well
know that they have been there at other times.®

An hart liveth longest of any beast for he may
well live an hundred years® and the older he is
the fairer he is of body and of head, and more
lechorous, but he is not so swift, nor so light, nor
so mighty. And many men say, but I make no
affirmation upon that, when he is right old he
beateth a serpent with his foot till she be wrath, and
then he eateth her and then goeth to drink, and
then runneth hither and thither to the water till
the venom be mingled together and make him cast
all his evil humours that he had in his body, and
maketh his flesh come all new.’ The head of the
hart beareth medicine against the hardness of the
sinews® and is good to take away all aches, espe-
cially when these come from cold; and so is the
marrow. They have a bone within the heart
which hath great medicine, for it comforteth the
heart, and helpeth for the cardiac, and many other
things which were too long to write, the which bear
medicine and be profitable in many diverse manners.
The hart is more wise in two things than is any
man or other beast, the one is in tasting of herbs,
for he hath better taste and better savour
and smelleth the good herbs and leaves and
other pastures and feeding” the which be profit-
able to him, better than any man or beast. The
second is that he hath more wit and cunning to
save himself than any other beast or man, for
there is not such a good hunter in the world that
can think of the great malice and gins! that a hart
can do, and there is no such good hunter nor such
good hounds, but that many times fail to slay the hart,
and that is by his wit and his malice and by his gins.

1
2G. d.F., p. 21: “ Ets’il fuit de fort longe aux chiens, c’est 4 dire que il les ait bien esloinhés.” See Appendix :
is Forlonge.” ’ Stall: to remain stationary (demeurer). * Lie down.
5G. d. F., p. 21: “Quar ils sentiront bien qu’ils y ont esté autrefois.”

6 Most old writers on the natural history of deer repeat this fable. See Appendix: Hart. L
10 Metyngs. See Appendix. 11 Gynnes : tricks, ruses.

oR Carlee hey n2 lament lial » Marrow.

7 See Appendix: Hart.

 

OF THE HART AND HIS NATURE 21

by his gynnes. As of pe hyndes some bene
bareyn, and some be pat bere calfes, of pise pat
bene bareyn here sesoun bygynnep whan pe sesoun
of pe hert faillep, and lastep to lenton. And pei
which beren calues, in pe mornyng whan she shal
© to her leire she wil not abide wip her calf but
she shal hold hym and leue hym a greet way fro
hure, and smytep hym wip pe fote and makop
hym lie adoun, and per pe calf shal abide alway pe
hynde while she goop to fede hure. And pane she
shal calle hure calf in hure langage and he shal
come to hure, and pat dop she for cause pat if she
were hunted pat hure calf myght be saued and pat
he were not founde nyee hure. The herts han
more power to renne wel fro the entryng of Maij
in to seynt John tyde* pan eny opere tyme For pei
han take new flesshe and nowe heere and here
heedis for pe newe herbes and newe comyng out
of troes and of fruytes and ben not heuy, for 3it
pei han not rekeueryd her greys” noiper withe
inne ne with oute neiper her heedes wher fore pei
ben moche pe ligtere and swiftere but fro seynt
John in to pe monyth of August they wexen alway
more heuy and her Skynn is ryght good for to do
wip mony pinges, whan it is wel itawed and take
good in seson. ‘The hertes pat bene in greet hilles
whane it commep to Rut some tyme pei come
adoun in to grete forestis and in pe hethes and
into pe laundes and per pei abide alle pe wyntere
in to pe entryngis of Auerille and pan pei take
hure hauntz for to lat her heuedes wexe nye pe
townes and pe villages in the playn contre peras
pei fynde good fedyng in pe newe growyng lond
and whan pe gras is hie and wel wexen pei drawe
hem into pe grettest hilles pat pei may fynde for
pe faire pastures and fedynges and faire herbes pat
bene per vpon, And also for per bene no flies ne
noon opere vermyn as pere is in pe playn contre.
And also dop pe beestaile pe whiche comen adoun
from pe hilles in wyntere tyme, And pe somere
tyme drawep hem into pe hilles,* and al pe tyme
fro pe Rutson in to Whitsonday* into Rut som
tyme men shul fynde but fewe gret deer saue
upon pe hilles and pe wyntere pei shul be pennes
a iii, or a v. myle and this is sothe but 3if it be
some yonge deere be whiche ben calfed in pe
playn contre but per shal noon fynde pe whiche
bene calfed in pe playn contre but per shalbe noon
founde pe whiche bene calfed in pe hilles and every
day in pe hete of pe day and he be not lett from maiz
into Septembre he gop to soile pof he be not hunted.

' Nativity of St. John the Baptist, June 24.

As of the hinds some be barren and some bear
calves, of those that be barren their season beginneth
when the season of the hart faileth and lasteth till
Lent. And they which bear calves, in the morn-
ing when she shall go to her lair she will not
remain with her calf, but she will hold (keep) him
and leave him a great way from her, and smiteth
him with the foot and maketh him to lie down,
and there the calf shall remain always till the hind
goeth to feed. And then she shall call her calf
in her language and he shall come to her. And
that she doeth so that if she were hunted her calf
might be saved and that he should not be found
near her. The harts have more power to run well
from the entry of May into St. John’s tide’ than
any other time, for then they have put on new flesh
and new hair and new heads, for the new herbs
and the new shoots of trees and of fruits and be not
too heavy, for as yet they have not recovered their
grease,” neither within nor without, nor their heads,
wherefore they are much lighter and swifter. But
from St. John’s into the month of August they grow
always more heavy. Their skin is right good for
many things when it is well tawed and taken in
good season. Harts that are in great hills, when
it cometh to rut, sometimes they come down into
the great forests and heaths and to the uncultivated
country, and there they abide all the winter
until the entering of April, and then they take
to their haunts for to let their heads grow, near the
towns and villages in the plains there where they
find good feeding in the new growing lands. And
when the grass is high and well grown they with-
draw into the greatest hills that they are able to
find for the fair pastures and feedings and fair
herbs that grow thereupon. And also because
there be no flies nor any other vermin, as there is
in the plains. And also so doth the cattle which
cometh down from the hills in winter time, and
in the summer goeth to the hills again.* And all
the time from rutting time into Whitsunday great
deer and old will be found in the plains, but from
Whitsunday* to rutting time men shall find but
few great deer save upon the hills, if there are any
(hills) near or within four or five miles, and this
is truth unless it be some young deer calved in
the plains, but of those that come from the hills
there will be none. And every day in the heat
of the day, and he be not hindered, from May
to September, he goes to soil though he be not
hunted.

2 See Appendix: Grease.

eae f é ates
This custom of cattle going to the hills in summer and returning to the plains in winter still obtains in the
mountainous regions of the continent, where cattle are regularly driven from the valleys about the end of May to

pasture on the higher Alpine meadowlands.

* This sentence reads somewhat confusedly in our MS., so I have taken this rendering straight from G. de F., p. 23.