60 THE MASTER OF GAME

the chaunges, he dredethe wher he goothe but
men see him lest he do amysse or envoyse, but
man may nought allway see him.’ Of such
maner of houndes have I sey many oon, ther bee
the other maner houndes the whiche men clepethe
byyonde the see hert houndes, goode and restreyed *
hert houndes huntethe noon other beest but ye
hert and therfore they bee the cleped bolde
houndes for they bee bolde and goode and wyse
for the hert, they bee cleped restreyed by cause
that yif an hert falle amonge the chaunge they
shoule abide stille® til the hunter come, and
whanne they see the hure maystre they wol make
him cheere and wagge hur tayles upon him and
wil by pisse the wayes and the busshes, but in
Engeland men makethe hem nought so, thees bee
the good houndes of oure lande but not so good
as the bolde houndes bee the byfore sayde.

Thei ben wel wyse for pei knowe wel pat pei
shuld not hunt pe chaunge, and pei ben not so
wise for to disseuere pe hert, fro pe chaunge, for
pei abide stil and restif.‘ Thise houndes I hold
full good for be huntere pat knowep hem may
wel helpe hem to sle pe hert. Noon of alle pies
pre maneres of houndes ne hunten not atte hert in
Rutsomtyme, but if it be be good bold hounde®
pe whiche is best of alle oper houndes. The best
sport bat men may haue is pe rennyng houndes
for 3if 3e hunte at hare or at pe roo or at buk or
at pe hert, or at any oper beest wipout greihound °
it is a faire pinge and a pleasaunt to hym p*
lovep hem. pe sechyng and pe fyndyng is also a
faire ping and gret likyng to sle hym with strength,
and for to se pe witt and pe knowleche pat God
hath 3euen to good houndes and for to se pe good
rekeueryng and pe retreiving and pe maistries
and sootiltees pat be in good houndes. For of
grei houndes and othir nature of houndes, what-
euere pei be ne lestep not pe disport, For anon
a good greihounde or a good Alaunt takeb or
faillep of pe best and so doon all maner of houndes
saue rennyng houndis be whiche moost hunt al pe
day questyng and makyng gret melody in her
langage’ and seyng gret villeny and chydeng pe
beest pat pei enchace and perfore I hold me wip
hem bifore al oper nature of houndes For pei
han moo yvertues as me semeth pan eny oper beest,
Oper maner houndes per byn which openep a

amid the changes. He dreads where he goes that
men see him lest he do amiss or envoise, but men
cannot always see him.’ Of this kind of hound
have I seen many a one. There be other kinds of
hounds which men call beyond the sea hart hounds,
good and restrained hart hounds.” They hunt no
other beast but the hart, and therefore they are
called hart hounds and bold hounds, for they be
bold and good and wise for the hart ; they be called
restrained, because if the hart fall among the change
they should stop still® until the hunter come, and
when they see their master they make him welcome,
and wag their tails upon him, and will by-piss
the way and the bushes, but in England men make
them not so. These be good hounds of our land,
but not so good as the bold hounds aforesaid, they
are well wise, for they know well that they should
not hunt the change, and they are not so wise as to
dissever the hart from the change, for they abide
still and restive. These hounds I hold full good,
for the hunter that knows them may well help
them to slay the hart. None of these three kinds
of hounds hunt the hart in rutting time, unless it
be the good bold hound,® which is the best of all
other hounds. The best sport that men can have
is with running hounds, for if he hunt the hare or
the roe or the buck or the hart, or any other beast
without greyhound,’ it is a fair thing, and pleasant
to him that loveth them; the seeking and the
finding is also a fair thing, and a great liking to
slay them with strength, and for to see the wit
and the knowledge that God hath given to good
hounds, and for to see good recovering and retriev-
ing, and the mastery and the subtleties that be in
good hounds. For with greyhounds and with
other kinds of hounds whatever they be, the sport
lasts not, for anon a good greyhound or a good
alaunte taketh or faileth a beast, and so do all
manner of hounds save running hounds, the which
must hunt all the day questeying and making
great melody in their language’ and saying great
villainy and chiding the beasts that they chase.
And therefore I prefer them to all other kinds of
hounds, for they have more virtue it seems to me
than any other beast. Other kind of hounds there
be the which open and jangle when they are un-

1 This sentence is difficult to understand without consulting G. de F. (p. 110), who says: “as the hound
does not challenge when the stag is with change, one does not know where he is going unless one sees him,

and one cannot always see him.”

G. de F.: ‘‘cerfs baus restifz’’ is the name which he gives these hounds. See Appendix: Running Hounds.

2
3 G. de F. adds: “and remain quite quiet.”
5

A Reni” (Ep, GD Wop Joh Titi

“Le chien baud,” G. de F., p. 111. See Appendix: Running Hounds.

Greyhound as in text of the MS. is evidently a mistake, for G. de F. says if one hunts stags “ou autres
bestes en traillant sans limier” (drawing for them without having first harboured them with a lymer), p. 111.

7 G. de F.: ‘“parlant et riotant en son langage,” p. r11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OF RUNNING HOUNDS AND OF THEIR NATURE

jengelep, whan pei be vncouplid and as wel whan
pei ben not in her fues and 3it whan pei byn in
her fues pei questey’ to moche in sechyng her
chace what pat euer it be and 3it pei lernen to
cache ® Whan pei ben yong and bene not chastised
perof pei shul euyr more be lavey and wilde * and
namely whan pei sechen her chace for whan pe
chace is founde pe houndes no3t questey* to
moche so pat pei be in pe fues and perfore to
entre and make houndes per byn many remedies.°
There ben also rennyng houndes some lasse and some
moor And pe lasse byn clepid kenettis® and pes houndes
rennen wel toal maner game and pei serven for al
game men clepin him heirers" and euery hounde pat
hap pat corage wil falle to be an heirere of nature with
litel makyng but pere nedeth grete nature and makyng
in yougth and greet travaille to make an hounde renne
boldely to a chace per as is grete chaunge or oper
chaces houndes pe whiche ben not perfitly wyse
chaunge comonly from May in to Saynt John *
tyde For whan pei fynden pe chaunge of hyndes
pe hyndes wil not flee ferre before be houndes®
sechen hem wel oft and perfore pei renne to hem
wip a better wille, and for pei hold hem nye here
calues pe which may not flee and perfore pei
hunten at hem gladly. And comonly and whan
pe hertis goon to Rutt houndes chaungyn comonly
for pe hertes and hyndes ben alway comonlych
stondyng in heerde or togidre, and so pei fynden
hem and rennen to hem rather pan eny opir tyme
of pe yeere. Also pe houndes senten wors fro
May in to Saynt John tyme pan in eny oper tyme
of alle pe yere, for as I shal saye pe bremed heth
and the brennyng of feeldes tatel away pe sent of
the beest, for pe houndes which pei hunten also
in pat tyme pe herbis ben best and flowris pe eyre
smellyng euerychon in her kynd and whan pe
houndes hoppyn to sent pe best pat pei hunten pe
foot smellyng of pe herbis takep moch from
hem pe sent of the beest.

61

coupled, and as well when they are not on their
line, and when they are on their line they ques-
tey! too much in seeking their chase whatever
it be, and if they learn the habit when they aie
young and are not chastised thereof, they will
evermore be noisy and wild,2 and mainly when
they seeketh their chase, for when the chase is
found, the hounds cannot challenge too loudly’
when they are on the line. And to enter and make
hounds there are many remedies.’ There are also
many kinds of running hounds, some small and
some big, and the small are called kenets,° and these
hounds run well to all manner of game, and they
(that) serve for all game men call them harriers.’
And every hound that has courage will come to
be a harrier by nature with little making. But
they need great nature and making in youth, and
great labour to make a hound run boldly to a chase
where there is great change, or other chases.
Hounds which are not perfectly wise take the
change commonly from May until St. John’s,® for
then they find the change of hinds. The hinds
will not fly far before the hounds,’ but they turn
about and the hound sees them very often, and
therefore they run to them with a better will,
because they keep near their calves the which cannot
fly, therefore they hunt them gladly; and usually
when the harts go to rut, hounds hunt the change,
for the harts and the hinds be usually standing in
herds together, and so they find them and run to
them sooner than at any other time of the year.
Also the hounds scent worse from May until St.
John’s than in any other time of all the year, for
as I shall say the burnt heath and the burning of
fields take away the scent from the hounds of the
beasts that they hunt. Also in that time the herbs
be best and flowers in their smelling, each one in
their kind, and when the hounds hope to scent the
beast that they hunt, the sweet-smelling of the
herbs takes the scent of the beast from them.

1 G. de F. has here: “Ils crient trop en quérant leur beste quelle que soit,” p. r1z.

* Should be ¢ache, habit. See Appendix: Tache.
* G. de F.: “ilz seront touzjours jangleurs,” 4.6.

noisy and wild, p. rrr.

* “The hounds cannot challenge too loudly when they are on the line.” G. de F.: “Chien ne peut trop

Chien pau

® G. de F. adds here: “which I shall tell of when I speak of the huntsman.” G. de F. p. 112 also says
here, that there are some lymers that one cannot prevent giving tongue in the morning when harbouring the

stag.

° Kenet, small hound. See Appendix: Kennettes.

" From Mid. Eng. harien, harren, to harry or worry game. This is also the derivation of the modern word

harrier. See Appendix: Harrier.

® Shirley MS. and G, de F. have: “ for they have their calves with waeyea,”” jo), 190%,

8 June 24.