76 THE MASTER OF GAME

CAP". xxv—HOW A MAN SHULD
KNOWE A GREET HERT BI THE
PLACE WHERE HE HAp FRAIED
AT HIS NEDE

FERpERMORE 3¢€ shal know a greet herte by pe
fraieng, and ye se pat pe woode be grete where he
hap fraied, and he hap not bowid it, and pe tree
be fraied wel hie and hath fraied the barke of pe
tree away and ijbroke pe braunches and wrethed
him wel hie and if pe braunches be wel greete, it
is signe pat it is a greet hert, and pat he shuld
bere an hie hede and wel trochid for bi pe
trochynge® he brekep so hie the bowes pat he
myght not fold hem vndir hym. For if pe
fraiyng were bare and he had ifraied pe bowes vndir
hym, it is no tokenyng pat it be a greet hert, and
specially if pe trees were he had fraied were smale.
Nabelees men han isaid some grete deer fray
somtyme to a litel tree but not comonly, but a
j3onge deere shal euermore® fray to a grete tre, and
perfore shuld 3e pan loke a newe frayeng, And if
ye se pe forsaid tokenys oftere vpon pe greete
trees pan on pe smale 3e may deme hym for a
grete hert. And if pe frayinges byn continually
in smale trees and lowe he is not chaceable.
and shuld be refusid. Also 3e may know a greete
hert by his leires, whan a grete hert shal come in
pe mornyng from his pasture and shal go to his
leire, and pan a greet,while aftire he shal ryse and
goo ellis where per as he wil abide al pe day.
Than whan 3e shal rise and come to pe leire per as
pe hert hap iley and yrest, 3if 3e se it grete and
brood and wele itred and pe grasse wel ipressid
doun, And at risyng whan he passep out of his
leire if 3e se pat pe foot and pe knees haue ithrest
doun wel pe erpe, and ipressid pe gras adoun, it is
tokyn p* it is a grete dere and an heuy. And if
at pe ryseng he make no soch tokens bicause pat
he hap be per but a litel while so pat his leire be
longe and brood 3e may deme hym for an hert
chaceable. Also 3e may know a greet hert by pe
beryng* pe woode, for whan a greet hert hap an
hie hede and a large and gop porow a pik wode
and he fyndep pe yong wode and pe tendir bowis,
his hede is harder pan pe wode, pan he brekep pe

wode aside, and menglep some bowes pe oon aboue

The words in brackets are omitted in our MS. but are in the Shirley

The tines at top: See Appendix : Antlers.

Ever more is here a mistake ; it should be never more.

arbre” (p. 132). Also in the Shirley MS.

CHAP. 25—HOW A MAN SHOULD
KNOW A GREAT HART BY THE
PLACE WHERE HE HATH PRAYED
HIS HEAD

FURTHERMORE ye should know a great hart by the
fraying (for if ye find where the hart has frayed),}
and see that the wood is great where he has frayed,
and he has not bent it, and the tree is frayed well
high, and he has frayed the bark away, and broken
the branches and wreathed them a good height,
and if the branches are of a good size, it is a sign
that he is a great hart and that he should bear a
high head and well troched, for by the troching*
he breaks such high boughs that he cannot fold
them under him. For if the fraying were bare
and he had frayed the boughs under him, it is no
token that it be a great hart, and especially if the
trees where he hath frayed were small. Neverthe-
less men have seen some great deer fray sometimes
to a little tree, but not commonly, but a young
deer shall never more® fray to a great tree, and
therefore should ye look at several frayings. And
if ye see the aforesaid tokens oftener upon the great
trees than upon the small ye may deem him a
great hart. And if the frayings be continually
in small trees and low, he is not chaceable and
should be refused. Also ye may know a great
hart by his lairs. When a great hart shall come
in the morning from his pasture, he shall go to his
lair and then a great while after he shall rise and
go elsewhere there where he would abide all the
day. Then when ye shall rise and come to the
lair there where the hart hath lain and rested, if
ye see it great and broad and well trodden and the
grass well pressed down, and at the arising when
he passes out of his lair, if he see that the foot and
the knee have well thrust out the earth and pressed
the grass down it is a token that it is a great deer
and a heavy (one). And if at the arising he make
no such tokens, because that he hath been there
but a little while, so that his lair be long and broad
ye may deem him a hart chaceable. Also ye may
know a great deer by the bearing* of the wood,
for when a great hart hath a high head and a large
(one) and goes through a thick wood, he finds the
young wood and tender boughs, his head is harder
than the wood, then he breaks the wood aside and
mingles the boughs one upon the other, for he bears

MS. and in G. de F. p. 132.

G. de F. says: ‘‘ Mes jeune cerf ne froyera ja en

4 “Bearing or breaking.

 

 

 

 

 

HOW A MAN SHOULD

pe oper, for he berep hem and puttep hem ober-
wise pan whan pei were wouned for to be bi her
owyn kynde, and whan pe gladnesse of pe woode
ben hye and broode pan he may deme hym a grete
herte for but if he had an hie hede and a whide he
my3t not make his waies hie and large, and if it
happe so * 3e fynde such gladnesse and have no
lymer withe you, if 3e wist of what tyme pise
gladnesse were imakyd ye must sette your visage
in pe myddes of pise gladnesse and kepep your
brethe in pe best wise pat ye may and 3if ye fynde
at the areyn' hath imake her webbe by the
myddelle of hem it is a tokyn pat it is of no
longe tyme,” or at lest it is of pe mydel® overcome
of pe day bifore, Napelees 3e shulde fetche your
lymer for so shuld ye wete po better. Also 3e
may knowe a greete hert bi pe steppis pat in Enge-
lond is callid trace and pat is clepid stepping,* Whan
he steppep in oo place per as pe gras is wel pik so
pat a man may not se per inne pe fourme of pe
foote or whan he steppet in oper places per as no
gras is but dust, or sande, an hard contre where
as fallen leeues or per pinges, lettyng to so pe
fourme of pe foot, and whan the hert steppep vpon
pe gras and ye mow not se be steppes wip 3oure
eyn pan 3e shul putte your hond in pe fourme of
pe foot pat hunters callyn the trace, and 3if 3e se
pat pe forme of pe foot be of iiii fyngres of brede,
3e mowe iuge pat it is a greet hert bi pe trace,
and if pe sole of pe foote be of iii fingres of
brede ye may iuge hym an hert of x. and ye
se pat I haue broke wel pe erpe and ytreded
wel pe gras itis a tokyn pat it isagret hert and an
heuy dere, and if ye mow not it wel se for pe
harnesse of pe erbe or for dust pan pe must
stoupe adoun for to take away the dust and blow
it away fro be fourme of pe foot into pe tyme
pat 3e mowe cleerly se be fourme p' callid is pe
trace, and 3if 3e mow not sett in oon place 3e shul
folowe to pe trace into pe tyme pat ye mow it wel
see and your ease, and 3if 3e mow se non in no
place 3e shul putt your hound in pe fourme of pe
foot and pan 3e shul fynde how pe erpe is broke
wip pe clees of pe foot in eiper side and pan 3e
mowe luge it a gret hert or for an hert chaceable
ie saide bi pe tredyng of pe gras, And if
oper ping be wip inne pe fourme pat 3e
mow not wel se it at your ease, 3e shuld take
away pe leues al soft or pe oper pinges wip

1 Spider, Fr. arraigné.
*1Gyidey Bs says): \Glest signe que ce
vocabulary an old track, not a recent one
" ene in our MS. is evidentl
midel of ye noone of y ie
ae y ye day before G. de F. says:
4G. de F. calls the track of

(Pp. 133).

: deer me f :
derived. on grass ““ foulées,” from which the modern “ foil,” “

nest pas de bon temps ”

y a mistake as it does not make sense. In Shirley MS. :

“Au moins est-ce de la relevée de la nuyt d

KNOW A GREAT HART Tg

them and puts them otherwise than they were wont
to be by their own kind. And when the glades of
the woods are high and broad then he may deem
him a great hart, for if he has not a high head and
wide he could not make his ways high and large.
If it happen so that ye find such glades and have
no lymer with you, if ye will know of what time
this glade was made, ye must set your visage in
the middle of these glades, and keep your breath,
in the best wise that ye may, and if ye find that
the spiders have made their webs in the middle of
them, it is atoken that it is of no good time” or at
the least it is of the middle* (of the noon) of the day
before. Nevertheless ye should fetch your lymer
for so ye should know better. Also ye may know
a great hart by the steps that in England is called
trace. And that is called stepping,* when he steps
in a place where the grass is well thick, so that the
man may not see therein the form of the foot, or
when he steps in other places, where no grass is
but dust or sand and hard country, where fallen
leaves or other things hinder to see the form of the
foot. And when the hart steps upon the grass and
ye cannot see the stepping with your eyes, then
ye shall put your hand in the form of the foot that
hunters call the trace, and if ye see that the form
of the foot be of four fingers of breadth, ye may
judge that it is a great hart by the trace. And if
the sole of the foot be of three fingers’ breadth ye
may judge him a hart of ten, and if ye see that he
hath well broken the earth and trodden well the
grass, it is a token that it is a great hart and a
heavy deer. And if ye may not well see it for the
hardness of the earth, or for the dust, then ye must
stoop down for to take away the dust and blow it
away from the form of the foot until the time that
ye may clearly see the form that is called the trace.
And if ye cannot see it in one place, ye should
follow the trace until the time that ye can well
see it at your ease. And if ye can see none in any
place, ye should put your hand in the form of the
foot, for then ye shall find how the earth is broke
with the cleeves of the foot on either side, and then
ye can judge it for a great hart or a hart chaceable

as I have said before by the treading of the ae
and if leaves or other things be within the form
that ye may not see at your ease, ye should take

away the leaves all softly or the other things with

—not of good time—means in the old sporting

Sa iueers) of ye
evant du cerf”’

stepping on grass,” is