The noble arte of venerie or hunting VVherein is handled and set out the vertues, nature, and properties of fiutene sundrie chaces togither, with the order and maner how to hunte and kill euery one of them. Translated and collected for the pleasure of all noblemen and gentlemen, out of the best approued authors, which haue written any thing concerning the same: and reduced into such order and proper termes as are vsed here, in this noble realme of England. The contentes vvhereof shall more playnely appeare in the page next followyng.

Of the Hunte, and how he ought to dresse, gouerne, and attend his dogges. Chap. 13. (Book 13)

[illustration]

A Good keeper of Houndes should be gratious, curteous, and gentle, louing his dogges of a naturall disposition, and he ought to be both well footed and well winded, aswell to fill his horne as his bottell: the first thing whiche he ought to do when he riseth, is to go see his Houndes, to make their lodging cleane, and to dresse them as the case shall require: after he hath so clen∣•…•… them, he ought to take his horne and founde three or foure

tymes the call, to the ende he may comforte them and call them to him: and when he shall see them all aboute hym, then shall he couple them, and in couplyng them he muste take good heede that he couple not the Dogges together, for feare least they fight one with another, and if there be any yong houndes, it shalbe good to couple them with the olde bitches, to teache them to fol∣lowe: when they are all well coupled, the keeper muste fill two great bagges or pockets with small bones, and other good mor∣sels, as fishe, or horse feete fried, fatte roste meates, and such like, then he shall breake all into small gobbets into his bagges, and hang one bagge about his owne necke, and giue another vnto one of his companions, that done, he must take two wispes of cleane straw and put them vnder his gyrdell, with a little brush or duster to rubbe and duste his houndes when they shall come into the fielde: the other Huntesmen or varlettes whiche shalbe with him ought to do asmuch. Afterwards euery man shal take a fayre wande in his hande, and let one go before to call the houndes vnto him, another shall come behind which shall ierke them forwardes, and if there be two others, they shall go on eche side, and so all foure togither shall go leade the houndes through the greene Corne fieldes and through the medowes, aswell to feede them, as for to teach them to knowe theyr voyce, making them to passe through the heardes of sheepe and other suche like beastes, to accustome them, and to make them to know thē: and if there be any dogge that is so il taught as he would runne at a sheepe or any such tame beast, you must couple him with a rāme* 1.1 or a stoute Sheepe, and with your wande you muste all to pay him and beate him a good while, crying and threatening to the ende that another time he may know the rate of suche as vse it. So muste you also vse to leade your houndes through the wa∣rens, and if they couet to runne after the Conies, you muste threaten and chastice them, bycause yong houndes do naturally loue them. When you haue thus walked them in the morning, and that the Sunne beginneth now to be high, the Hunte must go into some fayre medow, and call all his dogges about him, and then muste they take their wispes and brushes, to brushe and

duste their houndes as softely as may be: for sometimes the houndes whiche hunte in the woodes and forrests do pricke thē∣selues, and catche thornes or haue some scabbes or blisters, so that the keepers of Houndes hauing a beauy hande in rubbing and trimming them, might galde of the skinne, and rather do hurte than good. And furdermore it were very euill for the hounde to leese his haire or his lockes, for asmuche as he is vncessantly tra∣uayled in Woodes and Forrestes, whereas the ryndes the water droppes, and other coldnesse doth fall vpon him continually, and therefore it may suffize to rubbe and courrie the hounde three times in a weeke, but Greyhoundes ought to be rubbed ones e∣uery day. After all these things done, their keepers and Hunts∣men must teach them to know the Hallowe aswell by the horne, as by the mouth, in this wise.

First one of the Huntesmen muste take one of the budgettes full of delicates as before sayde, and go a crosbow shoote or fur∣der, according as the houndes are yong or wel entred: for if they be yong, and haue yet neuer bene entred, then the Hallowe muste be made the nearer, and they muste not be vncoupled bicause the old houndes may leade them to the Hallow, but if they haue bene begonne to be entred, then may they go further off and vncou∣ple them, and then when the Hunte shalbe two good Crosbow shotte from his Houndes (the whiche his compaignions must in meane whyle holde together) he shall beginne to Hallowe, and to sounde his Horne, and he shall otherwhyles crie: How, How, How, thats he, thats he, How, to a Deare. And How, How, that that, or there, there, to an Hare, and he shall neuer cease to crye, to hallowe, and to blowe, vntill his houndes be come vnto him: when his cōpaignions shall heare him beginne to hallowe, they shall vncouple their houndes & crie, lyst hallow, hyke hallow, lyst, lyst, lyst, then when they are come to the hallow, the Hunte muste take his bagge of vi•…•…ualles, and caste vnto them all the delicates, crying and comforting them as the Arte requyreth: then when he shall see that they haue almoste done eatyng of their rewarde, hee shall gyue signe or token to his com∣panions that they beginne to hallowe, the whiche (hauing not

stirred from the place where they vncoupled theyr dogges, and (hauing another budget or pocket full of delicates and dogges deynties) shall beginne to hallow on their side, and to blow their hornes to make the dogges come vnto them: then he which made the first hallow shall threaten them, and a little beate them with a wande crying agayne, lyst hallow, hyke hallow, lyst, lyst, lyst. And when the houndes shalbe come vnto them, they muste re∣warde them with theyr delicates as the other did, and then after let them couple them vp agayne fayre and gently: for if one do roughly handle a young hound at the firste couplyng, he will not easily come agayne to the couplyng another time. When they are coupled vp agayne, they must leade them to their Ken∣nell, and giue them meate, leauing alwayes some bread in their baskettes, for suche as shalbe of faynt appetite, their strawe must be chaunged three or foure times in a weeke at the least, and the Hunte must wreath wispes vpon little stickes, and pricke them in the grounde to make them pisse. It is a thing certayne, that if you rubbe ouer a wispe or suche like thing with Galbanum, all* 1.2 your houndes will not fayle to come and pisse agaynst it: and if perchance there be no fountayne nor brooke within the courte of your Kennell, then must you put their water in troughes of stone or of woodde as I haue rehearsed before, the whiche muste be changed and refreshed euery day twyce. Also in extreeme heate, Houndes are oftentimes combred with lice, fleas, and o∣ther vermine and filthie things, and for remedie thereof you muste washe them once a weeke in a bath made with hearbes, as followeth.

First you must haue a great kettle holding tenne great pots or small buckettes full of water, then take tenne good stalkes of an hearbe called Veruyne, and wilde Cresseyes, and asmuch of the leaues of Sorell, Marioram, Sage, Rosemarie, and Rewe, and lette them boyle well altogethers, casting amongst them twoo hand∣full of Salte: then when all is well boyled togithers, and that the hearbes be well consumed therein, you shall take them from the fire, and let them coole vntill the water be no more than luke warme, and therewith washe and bathe your dogges one after

another rubbyng them softely with your wispes. And all these things are best to be done in great heates, thryse in a weeke at the least also sometimes when whelpes are lately brought from their nources out of the villages, they will dreade the waters and dare not aduenture to passe through ryuers, pooles, &c. To helpe this the Hunte muste choose out warme and hote dayes, in the whiche aboute noone, he shall couple vp all his houndes, and leade them to the side of some riuer or poole, and put of all his clothes: then shall he take them one after another, and carie them a good way into the ryuer to learne them to swimme and abyde the water: when he hath done this two or three times, he shall see that his houndes will not feare the water, nor will make any difficultie to passe or swimme through the riuers and pondes. And in this manner good Huntes shall vse their houndes, for if they obserue all these things aboue rehearsed, it is not possible but that theyr hoūdes shalbe wel entred and ordred. And often∣times it happeueth that houndes do hunte and chase in the rayne and frost and other greuous weather, or els do enforce thēselues to passe and swimme through riuers and pooles, whē they do so, the Hunt ought to make them a good fire, and to rubbe and drie them, and when they be drie he should frotte and rubbe their bel∣lies, to take of the dyrte aud claye whiche may hang therevpon, for if they go to kene•…•… wette and moyled with dyrt, they should be in daunger to marfounder and to become mangie: oftētimes also in running through the hard champayne, or stonie grounde, they surbate and beblister their feete, and to helpe that, the Hunt must first washe theyr feete with water and Salte, then take the yolkes of egges & heate them wel with vinegre and the iuyce of an hearbe growyng vpon the rockes, and called Mouseare, then take pitch brused to powder and mingle it with twise asmuche soote, and after put your sayde powder amongst the egges and •…•…yce of hearbs afore sayd, making them all hote togither and al∣wayes styrring them, and you must take good heede that you o∣uerheate it not, bicause the moysture might so be consumed and the substance of the egges woulde waxe harde, which woulde marre all, but 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shalbe sufficient to heate it vntill it be some∣what

more than luke warme, and herewithall shall you rabbe euery night the feete and foldes betweene the clawes of your houndes with a linen cloute. I will stand no longer vpon this poynt, hoping to speake thereof more amply in the treatie of re∣ceiptes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A Ramme.
• * 1.2

  To make a hound to pisse at one certain place.