34 THE MASTER OF GAME

herneis* pat eny man bereth. ii causes ben princi-
palli whi pei goo vpone men. That on is whan
thei bene olde and leson hure teep and hure
strength and may not bere hure raveyn as pei
were wont to doo and pan most pei goon to
children the which ben no stronge priee as to
hem for nedep not to bere hem about but soly
for to ete hem and pe childes flesh is more tendir
pan pe skyn or pe flesshe of a beest. That oper reson
is whan pei acharnep in a Contre of werre per as
batels han be pere pei ete of dede men and of men
pat ben hanged pat pei may areche perto oiber
whan pei falle from pe galows and mannys flessh
is so sauery and so plesaunt that whane pei han
taken to mannys fleissh pei wold neuere ete flessh
of opere beest pof pat thei shuld dye for hunger
for many men han seyn whan pei han lost pe
sheepe pei haue take and ete pe sheperde. It is
a wonder gynnous beest and conyng and a fals
moor pan eny oper beest for to take al his
auauntage for he wil neuer flee but a litell saaf
whan he shal haue nede for he wil alway abide in
his strength and haue good breethe for euery
day it is nedfull to hym for euery man pat seep
him chasep awaie and criep after hym. Whan he is
hunted he wil flee al a daye but he be ouersette
with greihoundes gladly he wil be take in some
vilage or in a broke he wil be litel atte baye but
it be so that he may goo no ferther. Somtyme
pe wolfes by commen woode* and pan whan pei
biten a man wip gret peyn shal he be hool for her
bityng is wonder venemous for pe toodes pat ‘pei
han ete as I haue said and also for her woodnesse
and whan pei be fulle or sik pei feden hem wip
gras as an hounde doth for to voide hem pei
abide longe wipout mete for a wolf shal abide
with oute mete vj daies or more, And whan pe
wolf bitche hap her whelpes comonly she wil doo
mon harme nough where she hate hem for feer
that she hap to lese hem * and 3if a wolf come to a
folde of shepe 3if he may abyde eny while he wil
slee hem alle or he bygynne to ete of eny of hem,
Men taken hem dy yonde pe see wip houndes wip
greihoundes with nettis and withe cordes. But
whan he is take wip nettis or withe cordes he
kittep hem wonder fast with his tethe but me be
fast by hym for to slee hyn Also men taken
hem in puttes and with nedels * and with anceps°
or with venomous poudres pat men 3euen hem
in flessh and in mony other manere. Whan the
beestale commep adoun from pe hilles pe wolfes

1 Harness. See Appendix: Arms.

beareth. There are two principal causes why they
attack men, one is when they are old and lose their
teeth and their strength, and cannot carry their
prey as they were wont to do, then they mostly
go for children, which are not difficult to take for
they need not carry them about but only eat them.
And the child’s flesh is more tender than is the skin
or flesh of a beast. The other reason is that when
they have eaten flesh in a country of war, where
battles have been, they eat dead men. Or if men
have been hanged or have been hanged so low that
they may reach thereto, or when they fall from
the gallows. And men’s flesh is savoury and so
pleasant that when they have taken to men’s flesh
they will never eat the flesh of other beasts, though
they should die of hunger. For many men have
seen them leave the sheep they have taken and eat
the shepherd. It is a wonderfully wily and cunning
beast, and more false than any other beast when he
wants to take advantage, for he will never fly but a
little save when he has need, for he will always stay in
his strength and he has good breath, for every day
it is needful to him, for every man that seeth him
chaseth him away and crieth after him. When
he is hunted he will fly all day unless he is overset
by greyhounds. He will gladly go to some village
or in a brook, he will be little at bay except when
he can go no further. Sometimes a wolf goes mad
and when they bite a man he will scarcely get well,
for their biting is wonderfully venomous on account
of the toads they have eaten as I have said before,
and also on account of their madness. And when
they are full or sick they feed on grasses as a hound
does in order to purge themselves. They stay long
without meat for a wolf can well remain without
meat six days or more. And when the wolf’s bitch
has her whelps usually she will do no harm near
where she has them, for fear of losing them.* And
if a wolf come to a fold of sheep and if he can stay
a long while he will slay them all before he begins
to eat any of them. Men take them beyond the
sea with hounds and greyhounds, with nets and
with cords, but when he is taken in nets or cords
he cuts them wonderfully fast with his teeth unless
men get quickly to him to slay him, also men take
them within pits, with needle* and with hausse-
pieds® or with venomous powders that men give
them in flesh, and in many other manners. When
the cattle come down from the hills the wolves

2 Madness. See Appendix: Madness.

’ This precaution one can observe to-day in districts inhabited by wolves.

4 Needles. See Appendix : Snares.

5 Aucepis (Shirley MS.). G. de F., p. 69: hausseptez,

a noose.

a snare by which they were jerked from the ground by

 

 

OF THE WOLF AND OF HIS NATURE 35

commen adoun also for to haue her liflode, Thei
folowyn comonliche after men of Armes for pe
Carayns of the beestis or of pe dede horses or
oper pinggis. They howlen as pe houndes and it
pei be but ii pei make such a noyse as 3if pere a
route of vii or viii, and p' is be nyght, whan pe
weder is cleer and brygte or whan pei ben yong
wolfes and han not 3it passed her first yere or
whan men lay traynes for hem to acharne hem to
take hem withe grete poyn shul pei euere come
agayn ther as they han ete the flessh pat men han
laide to acharne hem with and specially old wolfes
at pe leest way at pe frist tyme that thei shul ete
but whane pei han ete ii or ii tymes pat pei be
assured pat no men do hem harme pan sometyme
pei abide, But some wolfes be so malicious pat
wil ete in pe nyghte and pe day pei shul be away
pennes ii myle or moor and specially 3if pei haue
byn agreued in pat place or 3if pei fele pat men
haue maked for hem eny trayn wip flessh for to
hunte at hem They pleyn not whan men sleen hem
as houndes don but of opere natures pei ben most
like hem whan men lat renne greyhoundes at a
wolf he loketh ageyn toward hem and whan he
seeth hem come he knoweth a noon hym ' shal
take hym and pan he hastep hym for to go pe
while he may, and 3if pei ben greyhoundes pe
whiche dure not take hym thei wil knowe hem
anoon and than pe wolf shal not hast hym of his
first goyng, And 3if men lat renne at hym at
pe side or bifore moo greihoundes which wil sese
hym whan pe wolf seep and he be fulle he voidep
both bifore and behynde in al his rennyng’ for to
be more liz3t and more swyft men may not norsshe
a wolf poo he were take neuer so 30ng and chastised
and bete and I hold undir disciplyne pat he ne shal
do harm 3if he haue tyme and space for to do it as
neuere shal he be so prive 3if menleve hym out pt
he ne shal loke hider and pider for to loke 3if he
may do eny harme or he lokep 3if eny man wil do
hym eny harme for he knoweb wel and wotep wel
pat he dop euel and perfore men ascriethe and
eee eee
bifore of pewolf is ee for ee
g medecyne for pe euel of
pe brestes and for boocches that comen to be swyne
under pe Shulders?
idried i good ae eee eee ene von
non affirmacion for I ne wold i Pe a!
‘ put in my book no
ping but verry soth. The wolfes skynn is hoot for to
make cuffes or pilches* but pe furrour p

pilct erof nys not
faire and also it stinkep ouere but it b :

e wel tawed.*
1
G. d. F., p. 70, “ tout en courant,”

yom
; aes should be “jaw.” G. d. F Pp. 70, has mais
: ~ jaw oad:
repared. Tawing is a process of makin j

come down also to get their livelihood. They
follow commonly men of arms for the carrion of
the beasts or dead horses or other things. They
howl like hounds and if there are but two they will
make such a noise as if there were a route of seven
or eight if it is by night, when the weather is clear
and bright, or when there are young wolves that
have not yet passed their first year, or when men
lay trains to take them. They will scarcely come
again to the place where men have put the
flesh, especially old wolves, at least for the first
time that they should eat, but if they have eaten
two or three times and they are assured that no
one will do them harm sometimes they will remain.

Some wolves are so malicious that they will eat in the
night and in the day they will go a great way thence,
two miles or more, especially if they know that they
have been aggrieved in that place, or if they feel
that men have made any train with flesh to hunt
them. They do not complain when men slay them
as hounds do, otherwise they are most like them.
When men run greyhounds at the wolf he turns
to look at them, and when he sees them he knows
which will take him, and then he hastens to go
while he can, and if they be greyhounds which
dare not take him, the wolf knows at once and
then he will not hasten at his first going. And if
men let run at him from the side, or before him.
more greyhounds which will seize him, when the
wolf sees them, and he be full, he voids both before
and behind while he is running to be lighter and
swifter. Men cannot nurture a wolf, though he be
taken ever so young and chastised and beaten and
held under discipline, for he will always do harm,
if he hath time and place for to do it, he will never
be so tame, but that when men leave him out
he will look hither and thither to see if he may do
any harm, or he looks to see if any man will do
him any harm. For he knoweth well and woteth
well that he doth evil and therefore men cry at,
hunt, and slay him.

And for all that he will not leave his evil
nature. Men say that the right fore foot of the
wolf is good for medicine for the evil of the breast
and for the botches (sores) which come to tame
swine under the shoulder.?

’ The liver of the wolf dried is good for a man’s
liver, but thereof I make no affirmation, for I
will put in my book nothing but very truth.
The wolf’s skin is warm to make cuffs or pilches®
oe but the fur thereof is not fair, and also it
stinketh ever unless it is well tawed.*

elles, i.e., MAchoires peel
selles, i.e., Mi Pelisses.
yee See ee ne g hides into leather—somewhat different {

tom tanning. There were