The Master of Game: The Oldest English Book on HuntingEdward, of Norwich
History
The Master of Game: The Oldest English Book on Hunting
Edward, of Norwich
Hunting -- Early works to 1800
For the imagination of men rather turns to evil than to good, for the
three enemies which mankind hath, are the devil, the world and the
flesh, and this is proved enough.
[3] Gaston de Foix has a different sequence, putting the hart first
and the hare sixth, and having four animals more, namely, the
reindeer, the chamois (including ibex), the bear and the rabbit, while
the "Master of Game" has one animal, the Marten, of which Gaston de
Foix does not speak.
[4] Gaston de Foix follows a different sequence, commencing with
alaunts, then greyhounds, raches, spaniels, and says "fifthly I will
speak of all kinds of mongrel dogs, such as come from mastiffs and
alaunts, from greyhounds and running hounds, and other such."
Nevertheless there be many other reasons which are too long to tell,
and also every man that hath good reason knoweth well that idleness is
the foundation of all evil imaginations. Now shall I prove how
imagination is lord and master of all works, good or evil, that man's
body or his limbs do. You know well, good or evil works small or great
never were done but that beforehand they were imagined or thought of.
Now shall you prove how imagination is the mistress of all deeds, for
imagination biddeth a man do good or evil works, whichever it be, as
before is said. And if a man notwithstanding that he were wise should
imagine always that he were a fool, or that he hath other sickness, it
would be so, for since he would think steadfastly that he were a fool,
he would do foolish deeds as his imagination would command, and he
would believe it steadfastly. Wherefore methinks I have proved enough
of imagination, notwithstanding that there be many other reasons the
which I leave to avoid long writing. Every man that hath good sense
knoweth well that this is the truth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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