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If you would haue faire hounds, you must first haue a fayre Bitch, which is of a good kind, strong and well proportio∣ned in all parts, hauing hir ribbes and hir flancks great and
large, the whiche you may make to goe proude in this wyse. Take two heads of Garlike, half ye stone of a beast which is cal∣led Castor, with the iuyce of Cresseys, & a dozen of the flies called Cantharides, boyle all these together (in a potte holding a pynte) with Mutton, and giue the pottage two or three tymes vnto the bytche to drynke, and she will not fayle to go proude. And in like manner shall you make your dogges desirous of the bytche. &c.
Afterwardes, when you see that your bytche goeth proude, attende the full of the Moone vntyll it be passed, and then cause hir to be lyned (if it may be, vnder the Sygnes of Gemini and Aquarius) for the dogges whiche shall be engendered vnder those signes, shall not be subiect vnto madnesse, and shall com∣monly be more dogges than bytches.
Also some say that there is a Starre named Arcture, and that suche dogges as are whelped or engendered vnder that Starre, shall be muche subiecte vnto madnesse. In lyke maner you must vnderstand dyuers secretes, whereof the first is: that of what dogge so euer a bytche shall be lyned, the firste time that she goeth proude, and at hir first litter, whether it be by Mastiffe, Greyhounde, or Hounde, in all hir other lytters whiche she shall haue afterwardes, she wyll alwayes haue one whelpe whiche shall resemble the dogge that first lyned hir: And for that cause you ought to haue good regarde that the first time she goeth proude, you cause hir to be lyned with some fayre dogge of a good kynde, for in all the lytters which she shall haue after∣wardes, there will be some one which will resemble the firste. And although now adayes men make small account of the first litter, seyng they are of opiniō, that the first lytter is much giuen to become madde, and are commonly weake and small, yet must you not faile to lyne your bitche at the first with a fayre hounde, and of a good kynde, for if she should be lyned with a Mastiffe or a curre, the other litters wil hold the same race, and yet if you should suffer hir to slyp without lyning, she wil pyne away, and with great payne shall you recouer hir or make hir fatte againe.
An other secrete is, that if yee will haue lyght and hote
hounds, then lyne your bytch with a yong dogge: for if she be lined∣ned with an olde dogge, the whelpes will become more heauie, and lesse gallant. And herewithall vnderstand that it is not good to coole a bytch when she is proude in the water, for the water doth congeale the bloude within the veynes and Arteries, which may cause hir to become maungie, or else that she shall haue wormes, tormentes, and grypcs in hir bellye, and infinite other diseases which followe therevpon. When the bytches are lyned, and that they beginne to be sydebellyed, you must not leade them on hunting for diuers causes. One is, bycause the for∣ces which they shall vse in hunting, do màrre and keepe fro pros∣pering the little whelpes which are in their bellyes. Also that in leaping ouer the hedges, and running through the woodes, euery least rush or knocke may make them cast their whelpes, where∣vppon might ensue diuers other euill happes which shoulde be long to recyte. Then the best is to let them onely passe vp and downe the house or court, and neuer locke them vp in their ken∣nell, bycause they be importunate and longing, and therefore you must make them pottage once a day at the least. Further∣more, if you would spaye a bitch, it must be done before she haue euer had litter of whelpes: & in spaying of hir, it shal not be good to take away all the rootes or strings of the veynes, for it is hard to take them away without hurting of the reynes, and so shall you hynder hir sooyftnesse euer after: but when some rootes of those veynes remayne, the bytche shall be much the stronger, and more hardie, and shall the better endure payne and trauell. Also you must take good heede that ye spay hir not when she is proud, for then shall you put hir in great daunger of death, but fyftene dayes after she hath lefte goyng proude. And when the little whelpes beginne to take shape within hir bel∣lye, then is best spaying of a bytche.