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
which are not difficult to take for they need not carry them about but
only eat them. And the child's flesh is more tender than is the skin
or flesh of a beast. The other reason is that when they have been
acharned (blooded) in a country of war, where battles have been, they
eat dead men. Or if men have been hanged or have been hanged so low
that they may reach thereto, or when they fall from the gallows. And
man's flesh is so savoury and so pleasant that when they have taken to
man's flesh they will never eat the flesh of other beasts, though they
should die of hunger. For many men have seen them leave the sheep they
have taken and eat the shepherd. It is a wonderfully wily and gynnous
(cunning) beast, and more false than any other beast to take all
advantage, for he will never fly but a little save when he has need,
for he will always abide in his strength (stronghold), and he hath
good breath, for every day it is needful to him, for every man that
seeth him chaseth him away and crieth after him. When he is hunted he
will fly all day unless he is overset by greyhounds. He will gladly go
to some village or in a brook, he will be little at bay except when he
can go no further. Sometimes wolves go mad and when they bite a man he
will scarcely get well, for their biting is wonderfully venomous on
account of the toads they have eaten as I have said before, and also
on account of their madness. And when they are full or sick they feed
on grasses as a hound does in order to purge themselves. They stay
long without meat for a wolf can well remain without meat six days or
more. And when the wolf's bitch has her whelps commonly she will do no
harm near where she has them, for fear she hath to lose them. And if a
wolf come to a fold of sheep if he may abide any while he will slay
them all before he begins to eat any of them. Men take them _beyond
the sea_ with hounds and greyhounds with nets and with cords, but when
he is taken in nets or cords he cutteth them wonderfully fast with his
teeth unless men get quickly to him to slay him. Also men take them
within pits and with needles[89] and with haussepieds[90] or with
venomous powders that men give them in flesh, and in many other
manners. When the cattle come down from the hills the wolves come down
also to get their livelihood. They follow commonly after men of arms
for the carrion of the beasts or dead horses or other things. They
howl like hounds and if there be but two they will make such a noise
as if there were a route of seven or eight if it is by night, when the
weather is clear and bright, or when there are young wolves that have
not yet passed their first year. When men lay trains to acharne (with
flesh) so as to take them, they will rarely come again to the place
where men have put the flesh, especially old wolves, leastways not the
first time that they should eat. But if they have eaten two or three
times, and they are assured that no one will do them harm, then
sometimes they will abide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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