THE MASTER OF GAME

CAPITULUM QUARTUM.—OF THE
BUK AND OF HIS NATURE

A BUK is a diuerse beest, he hap not is heere as
an herte, for he is more whitly, and also he hap
not suche an hede, he is lasse pan an hert, and he
is more pan a Roo,! buk his hed is pamed, and
longe pamyng, and he bereh moo tyndes pan dop
an hert. His heed may not be wel deuysed
wipout paintyng, pei han a lengere tale pan pe
hert and also he hab moor grece to his aferaunt
pan the hert. Thei ben fauned in pe monythe of
Juyn.” And shortly to say pei han here nature
after pe herte saue only pat pe hert goop rather to
pe Rutte and is raper in his seson agayne and also in
alle oper pingis of her kynde pe hert gop to fore
pe buk, for whan pe herte hab be xv. daies at the
Rutte scarcely pe buk gynnep to achauf hym self
and bolne. Also men gone not to swe hym with
pe lymer neiber men goon not to harbour hem as

men doon to pe herte ne his fumes ben not to
putte in iugement as pei of pe hert but men

jugop hym by the foote or by the hede as I shal

say more pleynly here aftir. pei croteye her fumes
in diuerse maners aftir pe tymes, and after her
metes, as dop pe hert, but after blak and dpe (sic)
pan oper wise. Whan pei bene hunted bei
bounted agayn in to her couertz and fleen not so
longe, as dop pe herte for somtyme pei renne
vpon pe houndes”® and pei rennen longe and fleene
euere 3if pei may alway. The gar® hem be take at
pe water and beten pe brokes as pe herte but not
with so grete malice as pe hert, ne so gynnously,
And also pei goon not to so greet Ryuers as pe
hert, pei rennep faster at be bygynnyng pan dothe
pe hert. The bolk about whan pei goo to Rutte
not as pe hert dop bute moche lowere pan pe
herte and Ruttelyng in the prote. Her nature
and pat of pe hert ne louep not to gedere, for
gladly pei wil not dwelle bere as mony hertes
bene, ne pe hertes per as pe bukkes be namely
togedere in heerde, pe buckes flesshe is more
sauery ° pan is pat of pe herte or of pe Roo buk.

The venyson of hem is ryght good and ykept and

have followed the Shirley MS. in this.

CHAP. 4.—OF THE BUCK AND OF
HIS NATURE

A BUCK is a different kind of beast, he hath not
his hair as a hart, for he is more white, and also he
hath not such a head. He is smaller than a hart
and is larger than a roe.!_ A buck’s head is palmed
with a long palming, and he beareth more tines
than doth a hart. His head cannot be well de-
scribed without painting. They have a longer tail
than the hart, and more grease on their haunches
than a hart. They are fawned in the month of
June* and shortly to say they have the nature
of the hart, save only that the hart goeth sooner
to rut and is sooner in season again, also in all
things of their kind the hart goeth before the buck.
For when the hart hath been fifteen days at rut the
buck scarcely beginneth to be in heat and bellow.
And also men go not to sue him with a lymer
nor do men go to harbour him as men do to
the hart. Nor are his fumes put in judgment
as those of the hart, but men judge him by the
foot or the head as I shall say more plainly here-
after. They crotey their fumes in diverse manners
according to the time and pasture, as doth the
hart, but oftener black and dry than otherwise.
When they are hunted they return again to their
coverts and fly not so long as doth the hart, for
sometimes they run upon the hounds.? And
they run long and fly ever if they can by the high
ways and always with the change. They let
themselves be taken at the water and beat the
brooks as a hart, but not with such great malice
as the hart, nor so cunningly, and also they go
not to such great rivers as the hart. They run
faster at the beginning than doth the hart. They
bark and bellow about when they go to rut, not
as a hart doth, but much lower than the hart, and
rattling in the throat. Their nature and that of
the hart do not love to be together, for gladly would
they not dwell there where many harts be, nor the
harts there where the bucks be together in herds.
The buck’s flesh is more savoury® than is that of
the hart or of the roebuck. The venison of them

at

2 et: ate ee

2 G. d. F. (p. 27) says end of May, which is probably the case in his southern country. s an
o They do not make such a long flight as the red deer but by ringing return to the hounds. G. d. F. says, “ Car

ilz ressaillent aux chiens moult de fois,” p. 27.

4 A line is here left out, which omission confuses the sense. The missing line reads: “by the high way and

always with the change.’ See G. d. F., pp. 27 and 28.
® Gar = force.

6 G. d. F., p. 29, completes the sense of this sentence by saying “‘ that the flesh of the buck is ere Seen
to all hounds than that of the stag or of the roe, and for this reason it isa bad change to hunt the stag with hounds

which at some other time have eaten buck.”

 

 

BUCK

HUNTING

WITH

RUNNING

HOUNDS