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
it lustily they shall hue and jopey to him, and also recheat. As oft
as they be on a stynt they should blow the stynt and do as before is
said. And if any of the aforesaid hounds retrieve him so that men may
know and hear it by the doubling of their menee,[219] but if they hear
any hunter above them that hath met_ (the deer) _that bloweth the
rights and holloaeth else_ (where) _they should haste them thither
where they thought the hounds retrieved it; or else to meet with the
hounds for to see the fues whether it be the hunted deer or not. And
if it is not he, they should do as above is said when they be on a
stynt, and if it be he every man shall speed him that speed may, and
every relay do as before is said. And if any of the hunters happen
while they be on a stynt to see a hart that he thinketh to be the
hunted deer he ought to blow a mote and recheat and after that blow
two motes for the hounds and stand still before the fues till the
Berner with the hounds do come. And if they suppose that they may not
hear him he should draw to them till they have heard him. And when any
of the Berners or the lymerer hear a man blow for them, they should
answer blowing in this wise in their horn: "trut trut trut," but he
should know readily by the fues after the tokens that have been said
before, whether it be the hunted deer or not. And in the same wise
shall a hunter do that findeth an hart quat_ (couched), _and he
thinketh it to be the hunted deer, and he sees that his fellows and
the hounds be on a stynt, he should well beware that he blow not too
nigh him, lest he start, and go away, before the hounds come.
Nevertheless for to wit whether it be the hunted deer or no, the
tokens have been rehearsed before--and when he hath been so well run
to and enchased and retrieved, and so oft relayed and vauntelayed to,
and that he seeth that_ (neither) _by beating up the rivers nor brooks
nor foiling him down, nor going to soil, nor rusing to and fro upon
himself, which is to say in his own fues, can help him, then turns he
his head and standeth at bay. And then as far as it may be heard every
man draweth thither, and the knowing thereof is that the hunter that
cometh first, and the hunters_ (one) _after the other they holloa all
together, and blow a mote and rechace all at once. And that they never
do but when he is at bay or when bay is made for the hounds, after he
is dead, when they should be rewarded or enquerreyde.[220] And when
the hunters that held the relays be there, or that they be nigh the
bay, they should pull off the couples from the hounds' necks and let
them draw thither. And the hunters should break the bay as often as
they can for two causes; the one lest he _(the stag) _hurt the hounds,
if he stand and rest long in one place; another is that the relays
that stand far can come up with their hounds the while he is alive,
and be at the death. And it is to be known that if any of the hunters
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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