Saeeaeens

 

  

28

 

couerte pei wil abide in some litel strength besydes
al pat day til it be ny3t. Thei wynde a man! as
fer as eny oper beest or ferper. The ly non with
herbes and wip flowres and specially in Maij pe
which makep hem renouel® her heer and hur
fleissh and some good hunters of dy 30nde pe see
seyn that in pat tyme pei bere medecyne for pe
good heerbes and pe good floures pat pei ete but
peruppon I make non affirmacion. They eten al
maner of fruytes and alle maner corn. And
whan al pat failleb hem pe wroot® in the grounde
with pe rowel of her snowte pe which is ryght
hard pei wroot so depe in pe grounde til pei fynde
pe Rootes of pe feerme and of pe spryng and of
oper rootes of pe whiche pei han pe sauoure in pe
erthe. And perfore haue I saide pat pei wynde
wondirly ferre and mervelously. And also peiete
alle vermyn and alle kareynes and ober foule
pingges pei han an hard skyn and stronge flessh
and specially vppon pe shuldire that is called pe
sheeld. Here seson bygynnep from pe holy crosse
day in Septembre* in to pe feest of Seynt
Andrewe® for pan goon pe bremyng of pe sowes
for pei ben in here grece whan pei be wipdrawen
from pe sowes. The sowes byn in her seson fro
pe bremyng tyme, which is to say pe xii day of
Cristmasse, in to pe tyme p' pei han farowed.
The boores turn hem comonly to pe bay at pe
partyng of his den for pe pride that is in hem,
and rennen vpon some houndes and vpon men
also. But whan pe boor is chaufed or wroop or
hurt pan he rennep vpon al ping pat he seep bifore
hym he dwellep in the strong woode and moost
thyk that he may fynde and rennep be moost
couerte way and pe strengeste, pat he may for he
wold not be sayn, and also for he trestep not wel
myche on his rennyng, but only on his defence
and his despitous dedis,° and ofte he abidep and
turneth hym to a bay and specially whan he is at pe
bremyng’ and hath a litel auauntage bifore pe
houndis of pe firste rennyng, for pei shul neuere
ouertake hym but 3if opere newe houndes be
vncoupled to hym he shal wel renne and flee from
pe sonne ryseng in to pe sonne goyng doun 3if he
be a yonge boor of iii yere old,* and countyng
from pe monyth of Marche that he is farowed
inne he partep from his moder and may wel
° They han iiii tusshes
to in pe jawle boue and ii in the nethir jawle, of

gendre at pe 3eeres ende.

THE MASTER OF GAME

 

covert or thicket for the day, and wait for the
night. They wind a man! as far as any other beast
or farther. They live on herbs and flowers espe-
cially in May, which maketh them renew? their
hair and their flesh. And some good hunters of
beyond the sea say that in that time they bear
medicine on account of the good herbs and the
good flowers that they eat, but of this I make no
affirmation. They eat all manner of fruits and
all manner of corn, and when these fail then they
root® in the ground with the rowel of their snouts
which is right hard; they root deep in the ground
till they find the roots of the ferns and of the spurge
and other roots which they scent under the earth,
And therefore have I said they wind wonderfully
far and marvellously well. And also they eat all
the vermin and carrion and other foul things.
They have a hard skin and strong flesh, especially
upon their shoulders which is called the shield.
Their season begins from the Holy Cross day in
September* to the feast of St. Andrew® for then they
go to the brimming of the sows. For they are in
grease when they be withdrawn from the sows.
The sows are in season from the brimming time
which is the twelfth day after Christmas till the
time when they have farrowed. The boars turn
commonly to bay on leaving their dens for the
pride that is in them, and they run upon hounds
and some at men also, but when he is heated, or
angered, or hurt, then he runs at anything he sees
in front of him.

He dwells in the strongest wood and the thickest
that he can find and generally runs to covert in
the thickest, for he does not wish to be seen, as he
trusts not in his running, but only in his defences
and in his desperate deeds.° He often stops and
turns to bay, and especially when he is at the
brimming’ and hath a little advantage before the
hounds of the first running, and these will never
overtake him unless other fresh hounds be un-
coupled to him.

He will well run and fly from the sun rising to
the setting of the sun, if he be a young boar of
three years old. In the third March counting that
in which he was farrowed, he leaves his mother and
can engender at the year’s end.?

They have four tusks, two in the jaw above
and two in the nether jaw ; of small teeth speak not

1 i indi See
1G. d. F., p. 58, says they wind acorns as well or better than a bear, but nothing about winding a man. Se

Appendix: Wildboar. 7” From F. renouveler.

8 See Appendix : Wildboar.

4 September 14. ° November 30.

® Despiteful or furious deeds. G.d. F., p.60, says that he only trusts in his defences and his weapons (“en sa

défense et en ses armes ’’).

W > i in li amntaliost iciz f glier
’ G. d. F., p. 60, has the following sentence in lieu of the words in italics: ‘‘ Espicialment un en Sar 2
longuement fuit quant chiens le chassent espicialment quand il est une fois atrote et a un pou davantaige

devant les chiens de la muete.”’

8 As this is somewhat confused we have followed G. d. F. text in the modern rendering.

9 See Appendix : Wildboar.

 

   
 
 
  
 
  
  
 

 

   
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
    
 
 
 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
 
 
  
  
   
 
  
  
  
  
  

THE UNDOING OF THE WILD BOAR AND PREPARING
THE HOUNDS