OF THE FOX AND OF HIS NATURE 37

teyntes and ouerset hym, pe last remedye of hym is
3if he be in playn cuntre he vishitep1 gladly pe
griehoundes by cause pat pei should leue hym for
pe stinche of pe dritt and also for pe feer pat he
hathe. O litel greihounde*® dooth greet hardy-
ness whan he taketh a fox by hymsilf for men han
seyn many grete greihoundes the which myght wel
take the hert and a wilde boor and a woolf and
wold lat pe fox goo. And whan pe fixen by assaut
goth in hure loue and she sechep the dogge fox
she cryeth wip an hos vois as an wood hounde
dothe and also whan she calleth hure whelpes whan
she mysseth eny of hem she clepeth hem in pe
same wise, The fox ne pleynep hym nat whan men
slee hym but euere he defendeth hym at his pouer
pe while he may lyve, he lyuep of al vermyn and
of alle kareyns and oper fowle wormes® his best
mete pat he moost loueth is hennys, Capones,
dokes, young gees and other wilde fooules whan
he may gete hem and also botirflies gressoppes,
milk and buttyr They done grete harme in
wareyns of conynges of hares pe whiche pei ete
and take hem so gynnously and withe grete malice,
and not with rennyng Ther byn some pat ben
hunted* as pe wolf and some pat goon no where
but to pe villages to feche pe ravayne for her
fedyng. As I have saide pei bene so gynnoule
and so sotil pat neiper men ne houndes may put
no remedy perto ne may not keke heme of her
fals turnes. Also foxes dwellen comonly in grete
hegges or in greet couerts or in beries nye some
townes or villages for to do euermore harme to
the hennes or to oper pinges as I haue said. pe
foxes skynnes been wonder hoote for to make
Cuffes or furres and 3it pei stynke euere more but
3if pei be wel tawed pe grece of pe fox and pe
marie be good for the hardyng of pe synowes.
Of pe other maners of pe fox and of his gymres?
(sic) shall I speke moore openly here aftir. Men
taken hem with houndes with greihoundes, with
haies and with pursnettis but he kittep hem
with his teeth as pe mascles of pe wolf doop but
nat sO sone.

of anet. And even as late as the seve
a fox, for, as Macaulay tells us, Olive
knocked on the head without pity (vol. i. p. 149).
1 Voiding excrements. ;
*G.d.F., p. 73, says, wn petit lévrier de Havre (
such as the deerhound and wolfhound used for big
*G.d. F., p. 73, has ordures. :
* According to G. d. F., p. 74, it sl
hunt like wolves.
© Gynnes, or tricks, or cunning.

1ould not read that some are

give him many touches and overset him, his last
remedy, if he is in an open country, will be that he
vishiteth! gladly, so that the greyhounds should
leave him for the stink of the dirt and also for the
fear that he has.

A little greyhound? is very hardy if he takes a fox
by himself, for men have seen great greyhounds
which might well take a hart and a wild boar and
a wolf and would let the fox go. And when the
vixen is assaute, and goes in her love to seek the
dog fox she cries with a hoarse voice as a mad
hound doth and also when she calls her whelps
when she misses any of them she calls in the same
way. The fox does not complain when men slay
him, but he defends himself with all his power while
He liveth on all vermin and all car-
His best meat that he

he is alive.
rion and on foul worms.®
most loveth are hens, capons, duck and young
geese and other wild fowls when he can get them,
also butterflies and grasshoppers, milk and butter.
They do great harm in warrens of rabbits and hares
which they eat, and take them so cunningly and
There
are some that hunt as a wolf and some that go

with great malice and not by running.

nowhere but to villages to seek the prey for their
feeding. As I have said they are so cunning and
subtle that neither men nor hounds can find a
remedy to keep themselves from their false turns.
Also foxes usually dwell in great hedges or in great
coverts or in burrows near some towns or villages
for to evermore harm hens and other things as I
have said. The foxes’ skins are wonderfully warm
to make cuffs and furs, but they stink evermore if
they are not well tawed. The grease and the
marrow are good for the hardening of sinews. Of
the other manners of the fox and of his cunning
I will speak more openly hereafter. Men take
them with hounds, with greyhounds, with hayes
and with purse-nets, but he cutteth them with his
teeth, as the male of the wolf doth but not so
quickly.

( ee century we find that such treatment was considered justifiable towards
2 Hos i - r St. John told the Long Parliament that Strafforc
as a stag ora hare, to whom some law was to be given, but as a f

1 was to be regarded, not
ox, who was to be snared by any means, and

greyhound for the hare) in contradistinction to large greyhounds
game. : : -

hunted like wolves, but that they themselves