30 THE MASTER OF GAME xx yere, he neuyr tasteth his teep ne his tusshes ne neuyr lesethe hem but it be with strokis.! The boores grece is good as of opere tame swyne and her flesshe also. Some men seyn pat by pe forlegge of pe boor men shul knowe how many yere he is olde, for he shal haue as mony smale pittes in pe forlegge as he hath yeeres, but I make non affrmacion vpon pat. The sowes leden about her pigges wip hem in to pat tyme pat pei han farowed, ii tymes and no lenger, and pan pei chosen her first pigges away from hem for be pat tyme pei bene ii yere old and iii Marches (sic) countyng pe first Marche pat pei were farowed inne,” and shortely pei haue al pe nature of tame sowes saff pat pei ne farowe bot onys in the yere and pe tame farewyn ii tymes. Whan pei be wroop pei rennen on men, vpon houndes and vpon beestis as pe wilde boor, And 3if pe cast doun a man pei abide lenger vpon hym pan dooth pe boor, but she may not slee a man so sone as pe boor for she hathe non such tusshes as pe boor, but some tyme pei do moche harme with bityng. Boores and sowes goon to soyle gladly whan pei goon to hur pastures al day and whan pei come ageyn pei make sharp her tusshes and cutten agayn pe trees, whan pei frooten® hem and be come agayn fro pe soile pat men calle a trip of a tame swyne is called of wilde swyne a soundre pat is to saye 3if per be passed a v. or vi. togidere. he never casts his teeth nor his tusks nor loses them unless by a stroke.! Their fat is good as that of other tame swine, and their flesh also some men say that by the foreleg of a boar one can know how old he is, for he will have as many small pits in the forelegs as he has years, but of this I make no affirmation. The sows lead about their pigs with them till they have farrowed twice and no longer, and then they chase their first pigs away from them for by that time they be two years old and three Marches counting the March in which they were farrowed.? In short they are like tame sows, excepting that they farrow but once in a year and the tame sows farrow twice. When they are wroth they run at both men and hounds and other beasts as the wild boar does and if they cast down a man they stand longer on him than a boar does, but she cannot slay a man as soon as a boar for she has not such tusks as the boar but sometimes they do much harm by biting. Boars and sows go to soil gladly when they go to their pasture, all day and when they return they sharpen their tusks and cut against trees when they rub? themselves on coming from the soil. What men call a trippe of tame swine is called of wild swine a sounder, that is to say if there are more than five or six together. ‘ At this point G. d.F., p. 61, adds: “One says of all biting beasts the trace, and of red beasts foot or view, and one can call both one or the other the paths or the fues.”’ “Hon apelle de toutes bestes mordans les trasses; et de bestes rousses le pié ou les foyes; et puet I’en apeller et les unes et les autres routes ou erres.” 2 See Appendix: Wildboar. 3 To rub, from Fr. frotter. OF THE WOLF AND OF HIS NATURE CAPITULUM 7™ VII—OF THE WOLF AND OF HIS NATURE A WOLE is a common beest I now and perfore me nedep not to telle of his makyng for fewe men be dyyonde pe see pe whiche ne haue seie some of hem. They ben in here loue in Feuer- yere wip pe femellis and pan ben Joly and don in pe maner as houndes doon and be in here greet hete of loue x. or xii. daies and whan pe buche of hem is most hoote 3if per be eny wolfes in pe contre pei goon alle aftir hur as houndes do after a byches whan she is Joly but she shal not be alyned withe noon of pe wolfes safe with on, she doop suche a wise that she shal lede pe wolfes vi or viii dayes withoute mete or drynke and without sclepe for pei han so grete corage toward hur pat pei han no wille to ete ne drynk, And whan pei byn ful wery she latteb hem wel rest in to pe tyme pat pei benascleped and pan she clawep hym with here foot, And wakep hym pat hur semeth hath loued her moost and moost hab traueilled for hure love and pan pei goo a grete waye thennes and ther he alyned hure, and per- fore men seyn by 30nde pe see in somme contres whan eny woman dop amys that she is like to pe wolf bicche for she takep hure to pe worst and pe foulest, And to pe moost wreech, and it is soth that pe biche of pe wolf takep hure to pe foulest and to the moost wreche for he hap moost trauaylled most goo and fastest! for hure pan opere han and he moost poor, moost lene, and most wrecch, And pat is pe cause whi men say pat pe wolf seghe neuere his fadir, and it is soth somtyme but not alway for it fallep pat whan she hath bro3t p' wolf pat she louep moost as I haue seyde and whan pe oper wolfes awaken pei putt hem anoon in pe foot of hure, and 3if pei may fynde pe wolf and pat bicche holdyng togidere al pe other shal renne vpon hym and slee hym and al this is soth as in this caas, But whan in al pe contre is but 00 wolf and oo bicche of his kynde pan may not pis rewle be sothe, and som- tyme by auenture of ober wolfes be so sone awaked or so late p' 3if pat wolf is nat fast with pe bicch or by auenture he hathe left hure and pan he fleep away from pe oper wolpes (sic) and so pei sleen hym nat and so in pis cas pe first opynion is nat soothe, They may gete yonge welpes at pe yeeres eend and pan pei part away from here fadir and here modir, and somtyme or pei be an xii monyth CHAP. 7.—_OF THE WOLF AND OF HIS NATURE A WOLF is a common beast enough and therefore I need not tell of his make, for there are few men beyond the sea, that have not seen some of them. They are in their love in February with the females and then be jolly and do in the manner as hounds do, and be in their great heat of love ten or twelve days, and when the bitch is in greatest heat then if there are any wolves in the country they all go after her as hounds do after a bitch when she is jolly. But she will not be lined by any of the wolves save by one. She doth in this wise that she will lead the wolves for about six or eight days without meat or drink and without sleep for they have so great a desire towards her, that they have no wish to eat nor to drink, and when they be full weary she lets them rest until the time that they sleep, and then she claweth him with her foot and waketh him that seemeth to have loved her most, and who hath most laboured for her love, and then they go a great way thence and there he lines her. And therefore men say beyond the seas in some countries when any woman doth amiss, that she is like to the wolf bitch for she taketh to her the worst and the ugliest and the most wretched and it is truth that the bitch of the wolf taketh to her the ugliest and most wretched, for he hath most laboured and fasted’ for her and is most poor, most lean and most wretched. And that is the cause why men say that the wolf saw never his father and it is truth sometimes but not always, for it happeneth that when she has brought the wolf that she loveth most as I have said, and when the other wolves awaken they follow anon in her track, and if they can find the wolf and the bitch holding together then will all the other wolves run upon him and slay him, and all this is truth in this case. But when in all the country there is but one wolf and one bitch of his kind then this rule cannot be truth. And sometimes peradventure the other wolves may be awake so late that if the wolf is not fast to the bitch or peradventure he hath left her he may fly away from the other wolves, and thus they do not slay him so in this case the first opinion is not true. They may get young whelps at the year’s end, and then they leave their father and their mother. And sometimes before they are twelve months 1G. d. F., p. 63, has: “ Pource qu'il a plus travaillé et plus jeuné que n’ont les autres.”