[106] "Chis," or "cheese," hound, probably dainty hound, a chooser, from "cheosan," Mid. Eng. "choose," to distinguish: also written "ches," "chees." (Stratmann.) [107] Lasts longer good, _i.e._ lasts as long as two hounds that have not been spayed. G. de F. (p. 86) adds: "or at least one and a half." CHAPTER XIII OF SICKNESSES OF HOUNDS AND OF THEIR CORRUPTIONS The hounds have many divers sicknesses and their greatest sickness is the rage whereof there be nine manners, of the which I shall tell you a part. The first is called furious madness. The hounds that be mad of that madness cry and howl with a loud voice, and not in the way that they were wont to when they were in health. When they escape they go everywhere biting both men and women and all that they find before them. And they have a wonderful perilous biting, for if they bite anything, with great pain it shall escape thereof if they draw blood, that it shall go mad whatever thing it be. A token for to know at the beginning, is this, that they eat not so well as they were wont to, and they bite the other hounds, making them cheer with the tail[108] first, smelleth[109] upon them and licketh[110] them and then he bloweth a great blast with his nose, and then he looketh fiercely, and beholdeth his own sides and maketh semblant that he had flies about him, and then he crieth. And when men know such tokens men should take him from the others until the fourth day, for then men may see the sickness all clearly, or else that he is not mad for some time. Many men be beguiled in that way. And if any hound be mad of any of the nine madnesses he shall never be whole. And their madness cannot last but nine days[111] but they shall never be whole but dead. That other manner of madness is known by these signs: In the beginning he doth as I said before, save that they neither bite man nor beast save only the hounds, as perilous is his biting as the first, and ever more they go up and down without any abiding. And this madness is called running madness. And these two madnesses beforesaid taketh the other hounds that they be with, though they bite them not. That other madness is called ragemuet (dumb madness) for they neither bite nor run not, eke they will not eat for their mouth is somewhat gaping as if they were enosed[112] in their throat, and so they die, within the term beforesaid without doing any harm. Some men say that it cometh to them from a worm[113] that they have under the tongue, and ye should find but few hounds that hath not a worm under the tongue. And many men say that if that worm was taken from them they would never go mad, but thereof I make no affirmation. Nevertheless it is good to take it from them, and men should take it away in this manner. Men should take the hound when he is past half a year old and hold fast his fore-feet, and put a staff athwart his mouth so that he should not bite. And after take the tongue and ye should find the worm under the tongue, then ye