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
The greyhound is a kind of hound there be few which have not seen
some. Nevertheless for to devise how a greyhound should be held for
good and fair, I shall devise their manner. Of all manner of
greyhounds there be both good and bad, nevertheless the best hue is
red fallow with a black muzzle. The goodness of greyhounds comes of
right courage, and of the good nature of their father and their
mother. And also men may well help to make them good in the
encharning[158] of them with other good greyhounds, and feed them well
with the best that he taketh. The good greyhound should be of middle
size, neither too big nor too little, and then he is good for all
beasts. If he were too big he is nought for small beasts, and if he
were too little he were nought for the great beasts. Nevertheless
whoso can maintain both, it is good that he have both of the great and
of the small, and of the middle size. A greyhound should have a long
head and somewhat large made, resembling the making of a bace[159]
(pike). A good large mouth and good seizers the one against the other,
so that the nether jaw pass not the upper, nor that the upper pass not
the nether. Their eyes are red or black as those of a sparrow hawk,
the ears small and high in the manner of a serpent, the neck great and
long bowed like a swan's neck, his chest great and open, the hair
under his chyn hanging down in the manner of a lion.[160] His
shoulders as a roebuck, the forelegs straight and great enough and not
too high in the legs, the feet straight and round as a cat, great
claws, long head as a cow[161] hanging down.
[158] Encharning, feed with the flesh of game, to blood.
[159] Should be "luce," and G. de F. has "luz," from Lat. _lucius_,
pike, p. 103.
[160] G. de F., p. 104, says: "La harpe bien avalée en guise de lion,"
_harpe_ meaning in this instance "flanks."
[161] "Long head as a cow" is evidently a mistake of translator or
scribe. G. de F. has: "le costé lonc comme une biche et bien avalé"
("the sides long as a hind, and hanging down well").
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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