36 THE MASTER OF GAME CAPITULUM VIII.—_OF THE FOX AND OF HIS NATURE THE fox is a comon beest and perfore me nedep not to telle of his makying for per be but fewe gentilmen pat ne han sey some he hathe many suche condicions as pe wolf for pe foxen! of the fox berep as longe as the bicche of pe wolf berep her whelpes some tyme moore and sumtyme lasse saf pat pe foxen fox whelpep vndir pe erthe moore depe pan pe bitche of the wolf doop. The fixen of the fox is a saute* ones in pe yeere she hap venemous bytenge as a wolf and his lif is no lenger than a wolfes lif with grete payn men take pe fox namely pe fixen whan she is with welpes for whan she is wip whelpes and is hevy she holdith hur euermore nye her hoole for sumtym she welpeth in a faus hoole and sumtyme in grett beries and somtyme in holowe trees and perfore she draweth euermore nye her beries and 3if she here eny thing anoon she goop perynne or eny houndes may come to hure she isa fals beest and a malicious as a wolf, The huntynge for pe fox is faire for pe good crie of pe houndis® pat folowen hym so nye and wip so good a wille alway pei senter of hym for he flep by pik spoies and also for he stinkep euermore and with gret payne he wil leeeue (sic) a couert whan he is perinne he takep not playn contre for he tresteth not on his rennyng nepere in his defence for he is to feble and 3if he do it shal be by verey strength of men and houndes and evermore more he shal holde pe Couert and 3if he may not keuere hym but with a brere 3it will he keuere hym with that and whan he seeth pat he may not dure than he goop to the erthe, where he may next eny fynde the which he knoweth wel and pan may men digge hym out and take him so pat he be in esy digging but not amonge roches’ and 3if greihoundes 3exen hym mony CHAP. 8.—OF THE FOX AND OF HIS NATURE THE fox is a common beast and therefore I need not tell of his making and there be but few gentle- men that have not seen some. He hath many such conditions as the wolf, for the vixen! of the fox bears as long as the bitch of the wolf bears her whelps, sometimes more sometimes less, save that the vixen fox whelpeth under the earth deeper than doth the bitch of the wolf. The vixen of the fox goeth a clicqueting” once in the year. She has a veno- mous biting like a wolf and their life is no longer than a wolf’s life. With great trouble men can take a fox, especially the vixen when she is with whelps, for when she is with whelps and is heavy, she always keeps near her hole, for sometimes she whelpeth in a false hole and sometimes in great bur- rows and sometimes in hollow trees, and therefore she draweth always near her burrow, and if she hears anything anon she goeth therein before the hounds can get to her. She is a false beast and as malicious asawolf. The hunting for a fox is fair for the good cry of the hounds® that follow him so nigh and with so good a will. Always they scent of him, for he flies through the thick wood and also he stinketh evermore. And he will scarcely leave a covert when he is therein, he taketh not to the plain (open) country for he trusteth not in his running neither in his defence, for he is too feeble, and if he does, it is because he is (forced to) by the strength of men and hounds. And he will always hold to covert, and if he can only find a briar to cover him- self with, he will cover himself with that. When he sees that he cannot last, then he goes to earth the nearest he can find which he knoweth well and then men may dig him out and take him, if it is easy digging, but not among the rocks.4 If greyhounds 1 Also spelt Ffixen, probably from G. Fiichsin. See Appendix: Fox. : 2 From F. sauter, in heat; the term in the modern text is used by Turbervile (p. 188). 3G. d. F., p. 72, says, “ because the hounds hunt him closely.” 4 Our MS. only gives this one chapter on the fox, while Gaston Phcebus has anot prendre le renard. In this he gives directions as to earth-sto with ‘“‘ orpiment and sulphur and nitre or saltpetre.” hunting, as the leaf is off the trees and the coverts are clearer, so that the hounds have her: Comment on doit chassier et pping, and taking him in pursenets, and smoking him out He says January, February, and March are the best months for more chance of seeing the fox and hunt him closer. He says that one-third of the hounds should be put in to draw the covert, and the others in relays should guard the boundaries and paths, to be slipped as required. Although tl e hunting, we have no reason to believe that the fox was treated at that period better by Eng comparatively recent times the fox was accounted vermin, and any means by which his death could be were considered legitimate, his extermination being the chief object in hunting I A run with foxhounds in the days of Henry IV. and Henry V. would have been more accidental than w by means of nets placed round the coverts and relays of greyhounds and othe of the woods which were being drawn, poor Reynard stood little ch E was most likely chopped close to covert, or knocked on the head with a hunting 1is is a Frenchman’s account of fox- lish sportsmen, for until encompassed 1im, and not the sport. A good ished for, and r hounds, placed without the boundaries hance of fair play, and if he tried to steal away -pole as he struggled in the meshes FOX HAUNTING “ABOVE GROUND WITH RA GHES OK RUNNING HOUNDS This is probably the oldest extsting detailed picture of this sport, so called to distinguish it from fox drawing