OF THE WOLF AND OF HIS NATURE 33

they help nat pe buche to norche here whelpes,
But whan a wolf and a biche be in felawship
togidre and ther be no mo wolfes in pat Contre by
verey naturel smellynge he woot wel pat pe welpes
ben his and perfore he helpep to norssh hem but
no ping goodly in to pe tyme pat she hap whelpes.
The wolf is fattast of al pe yere for he etep al
pat he takep and al pat pe bitche and whelpes
shuld ete, pe becche of hem berep ix. wekis here
whelpes and somtyme iii or iiii daies more ones in
pe yeere pei goon to her love and ben joly some
men seyn pat pe bitche of hem berep no whelpes
pe whiles her modir lyueth but perof I make non
affirmacion the bitches of hem han her whelpes as
opere tame bitches som tyme moo and somtyme
lasse, thei han strength namely bifore’ and euelle”
pei be and stronge for somtyme a wolf shal wel
sclee a cowe or a mare and he hathe grete strengthe
in pe mouthe somtyme he shal bere in his mouthe
a goot or a shepe or a yong hogge and nat towche
pe grounde and shal renne so fast perwip pat but
3if mastifs or men on hors bak happe to renne
bifore hym pe heerdes ne non ober man on foot
shal neuer ouyrtake hym pei lyuen of al maner
fleissh and of alle karaynes and of alle maner
vermyn, And bei long for pei
lyuen not but xili or xiiii yere thei han euel
bytyng and venemous for pe toodes and opere
vermyn pat pei eten pei goon so fast whane
pei ben voide pat men han late renne at hem iiii
leeces of greihoundes eueryshon aftir obere pe
whiche my3t not take one of hem for pei rennene
also fast as eny beest in pe world and duren longe
rennyng for he hath a long breeth. Whan he is
long hunted with rennyng houndes he ne fleep but

lyuen nat

litel fro hem but 3if the greihoundes or opere
houndes hast hym pe faster he fleep al pe Covert *
as a boor and comonly by pe hie waies and
comonly he goop to gete his liflode by nyght and
sometyme by daye whan he is soor a hungred, And
some per be pat huntep at pe hert and at pe wilde
boor and at the Roo buk and wyndep as fer as a
mastif and takepe houndes whan pei may. Ther
ben some that eten children or men and ete noon
opere flessh fro pe tyme pat pei be acherned ! with
mennys flessh for rather pei wolde be dede
and pei ben cleped werwolfes for men shuld be
ware of hem and pei be so cawtelous pat whan
pei assaien a man pei haue an holdyng vpon hem
or pe men se hem and 3if men see hem pei wil
come upon hym so gynnously and with gret peyn
the man may eskape that pei ne be take and slayn
for pei can wondere wele kepe hem from eny

: Probably “‘ forequarters” are meant,
He keeps to the coverts,

the bitch to nourish the whelps but when a wolf
and a bitch are in fellowship and there are no
wolves in that country by the natural smelling
he knows well that the whelps are his and there-
fore he helps to nourish them but not well. At
the time that she has whelps the wolf is fattest
in all the year, for he eats and takes all that the
bitch and whelps should eat. The bitch carries
her whelps nine weeks and sometimes three or four

days more. Once in the year they are in their

love and are jolly. Some men say that the bitches
bear no whelps while their mother liveth, but thereof

I make no affirmation. The bitches of them have
their whelps as other tame bitches, sometimes more,
sometimes less. They have great strength espe-
cially in front,’ and they be evil® and strong for some-
times a wolf will slay a cow or a mare as he has great
strength in his mouth, sometime he will carry in
his mouth a goat or a sheep or a young hog and
never touch the ground with it, and shall run so
fast with it that unless mastiffs or men on horseback
happen to run before him, the shepherds nor no
other man on foot will ever overtake him. They
live on all manner of flesh and on all carrion and
all kinds of vermin, and they live not long for they
do not pass fourteen or fifteen years. Their biting
is evil and venomous on account of the toads and
other vermin that they eat. They go so fast when
they are empty, that men have let run four leashes
of greyhounds, one after the other and they could
not overtake him, for he runs as fast as any beast
in the world, and he lasts long running, for he
has a long breath. When he is hunted long with
running hounds he flies but little from them, unless
the greyhounds or other hounds press him. He
runs in the covert as a boar does and usually runs
by the high ways. And generally he goes to get
his livelihood by night, but sometimes by day,
when he is sore ahungered. And there are some
wolves that hunt the hart, the wild boar and the
roebuck, and can wind as far as a mastiff, and take
hounds when they can. There are some that eat
children and men and eat no other flesh from the
time that they be blooded‘ by men’s flesh for they
would sooner die. They are called wer-wolves,
for men should beware of them and they are so
cautious that when they assail a man they get hold
of him before the man can see them, and yet if men
see them they will come upon him so cunningly
that with great difficulty a man will escape being
taken and slain, for they can wonderfully well
defend themselves from any harness that a man

; G. d. F., p. 66, has “ evil biting.’’
Acherned, from O. Fr. acharné, to blood, from chair, flesh.

E