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VVHen the Prince or Lord which hunteth shall haue heard all reportes, and that the relayes are well set and placed, and that the huntsmen and houndes haue broken their fast or re∣freshed them selues, then he which seemed to haue harbored the greatest and oldest Deare, and him which lyeth in the fayrest couert, vpon whose report the Prince or Lorde would goe to
hunte, shall take his bloudhounde and go before to the blemi•…•…∣ings with his companions, and with all the prickers or hun∣ters on Horsebacke whiche hunte with the kennell, who shoulde haue euery one of them a good cudgell in his hand, which is cal∣led a Hunting coodgell or a Troncheon to turne the boughes and beare them from his face as he followeth the houndes in the woodes or thickes: and this coodgell shoulde not be bea∣ched or pilled vntill suche season as the Harte haue frayed his head: but when the Harte hath frayed, then may a Huntes∣man beare a coodgell beached or pilled lawfully: beyng come to the blemishes, lette them alight to behold the Slot and suche other markes as may be taken by the view or foote of a Deare, to the end they may the better know whether their houndes hunte change or not. Then when the Prince or Master of the game is come, and the houndes for the crie, all the horsemen must quickly cast abrode about the couert, to discouer ye Harte whē he rowzeth & goeth out of his hold, yt they may the better know him after∣wards by the cote, & by his h•…•…ad. And when the huntesmā which harbored him, shal see all the rest of his cōpaniōs about him with the houndes for the crie, he shall then go before them & rowze the Deare, for the honour is due to him: and then the rest shall cast of their hoūdes, he & al they crying, To him, To him, thats he, thats he, & such other wordes of encouragemēt. And here I will teach you two secretes: the one is that the huntesmen should not be to hastie with their houndes at the first rowzing or vnharboring of the deare, for asmuch as theyr heate may perchaunce make them ouershoote & hunt amisse: the other is, that the houndes of the crie should alwayes come behi•…•…de the huntesman which hath harbo∣red, and behinde his hounde by threescore paces at the least, vntill he haue vnharbored, for feare least the Harte haue crossed & dou∣bled within the thicket, and they might foyle or breake the Slot, so that the bloudhound should not be able to drawe and hunte so truely as els he would: for oftentimes old beaten Deare, when they go to layre, do vse all pollicies and subtilties in crossing, doubling & such like. And therfore if the houndes of the crie come ouer neare after ye bloudhound, they shal breake the Slot & view,
so that he which harbored shal scarce make his ho•…•…de to hunte it: and if the bloudhounde as he draweth do chaunce to ouershoote & draw wrong or counter, then muste the huntesman drawe him backe and say, Backe, backe, softe, softe, vntill he haue set him right againe. And if he perceyue that the hounde do amend his fault & hunte right againe, let him kne•…•…le down vpō one knee to marke ye Slot or the portes well & aduisedly: and if he perceiue that his hounde draw right, let him clappe him on the side & cherish him, saying. Thats my boy, thats he, thats he, To him knaue, and let him blemish there aswell for thē that come after him, as also to shew them that come with the kennell that the Harte passed there, and if the kennell be to farre frō him, he should crie, Come neare, come neare with the houndes, or els let him blowe two motes, leauing blemishes both alofte & by lowe, all the way as he goeth, that if his hounde ouershoote or drawe amisse, he may yet come back to his last blemish. Then if he perceyue yt his hounde do renew his drawing, & that he drawe stiffe, so that it seemeth he be neare the Harte, he must hold him then shorter & shorter, least if the Harte should rowze for feare a farre of, his hounde (hunting vpon the winde) might •…•…arie him amisse, so that he should not finde the layre. Whereby (& by the foyles about it) he might haue certaine iudgement: and if he rowze or vnharbor the Deare & finde the layre, let him not blow ouer hastely for ye houndes, but only crie, Looke ware, looke ware, ware, ware, and let him drawe on with his hoūde vntil y• Deare be descried, & rightly marked before he hal∣low. And if he finde any fewmets as he draweth, let him marke well whether they be lyke to those which he found before or not, I meane those which he brought to the assembly: & yet sometimes he might so be deceyued, but that is not often, but only when the deare hath chaūged his fee•…•…e. True it is yt the fewmishing which a Deare maketh ouer night, be not like those which he maketh in the morning, when he draweth into ye thicket to go to his layre: for those which he maketh at his f•…•…ede in ye night or euening, be flatter, softer, & better disgested, than those which he maketh in a morning: & ye reason is bicause he hath slept & rested al day, which maketh perfect digestion: & cōtrarily those which he ma•…•…eth in
the rūning, are neither so well disgested nor so soft. For as much as al ye night a Deare goeth & trauelleth to seeke his feede, & hath neither had rest nor leysure to disgest his feede so well. And yet they will be like of forme and proportion, vnlesse the chaunge of feeding be the cause of it. Or if the huntesman finde the layre of the Deare, he shall lay his cheeke or his backe of his hande vpon it, to feele if it be warme or not. Or he may know by his hound, for he will streyne and lappyse, or whymper, or sometime call on plainely. All these tokens giue a huntesman to vnderstande, that the Hart is rowzed and on foote. Some Harts be so subtile and craftie, that when they rowze and go from their layre, they coast round about, to seke some other Deare wherby the hounds which follo we them, might finde change to hunt. Or else per∣chance they haue some yong Brocket with them in company al∣wayes, whereby the hunte man may be beguyled. And therefore he shall not blowe to cast off more houndes when he rowzeth him, but only crye, ware, ware, ware, come neare with the houn∣des. And let him drawe after him still that way that he went fyftie or threescore paces: And whē he shal perceiue that the Hart prepareth to flee, if he seeme to be sure thereof, let him blowe for the houndes, and crye to them, thats he, thats he, to him, to him. And let him drawe still vpon the Slot or viewe, blowing and hallowing, vntill the houndes be come in and beginne to take it right, and therewithall he must goe amongst them, with his hounde in the lyam to encourage them, and to make them take it the more hotely. Afterwardes when he seeth that they are in full crye, and take it right, he may go out of the thicke, and giue his hounde to his boy or seruant, and get vp on horsebacke, kee∣ping still vnder the winde, and coasting to crosse the houndes which are in chace, to helpe them at default if neede require. But if it shoulde happen that the Harte turning counter vppon the houndes in the thicket, had come amongest chaunge, then let all the huntesmen menace and rate their houndes, and couple them vp againe, vntill they haue gone backe eyther to the layre, or to last blemish made vpon any Slotte or viewe, and so hunt on a∣gaine vntill they may finde the Harte. For some beaten Deare
will fall flat vpon his belly, and neuer moue vntill the houndes be euen vpon him.