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 subtilties of an Hare, when she is runne and hunted. Chap. 59. (Book 59)

I Might well mainteine that of all chases, the Hare maketh greatest pastime and pleasure, and she weth most running in hunting, and is meetest for gentlemen of all other hun∣tings, for that they may find them at all times, and hunt them at most seasons of the yeare, and that with small charges. And a∣gaine, bicause their pastime shall be alwayes in sight, whereby they may iudge the goodnesse of their houndes, without great paines or trauell. Also it is great pleasure to beholde the subtil∣tie of the little poore beaste, and what shift she can make for hir •…•…lfe. Wherefore the hun•…•…n must be wary and wise to marke

hit subtilties, the which I haue predicted much, and therefore I am the bolder to set downe in wryting suche 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as I haue seene, knowne, and made. First the hunte•…•…man which shall be nexte the houndes, shall looke and marke •…•…any thinges when the Hare riseth out of •…•…ir forme. As first what weather it is. For if it be raynie weather, then the Hare will holde the high wayes more than at any other time. And if she come to the side of any yong spring or groue, she will not lightly goe in, but will con∣uey hir selfe, and squat vnder the side thereof, untill the houndes haue ouershot hir: and then she will returne the self•…•… same waye that she came, vnto the place where she was start or put vppe, for she will not willingly goe into any couert, bycause of the dewe and wet that hangeth vpon the lowe twigges. In suche a case, the huntesman shall doe well, to tarie and staye an hun∣dreth paces before he come to the woodes sides, and then he shall see hir if she come right backe as before sayde. Then maye he hallowe in his houndes and call them backe: for else it woulde be harde to make it out. Whē a Hare doth so as before sayd, by∣cause an hound will scarcely beleeue that the Hare were gone directly backwardes, therefore the Huntesman shall doe well to hallowe them in before they go any further: for else they will rather iudge it to be the counter as she came first.

Nexte to this, a huntesman muste marke in what place the Hare sitteth, and vpon what wynde she made hir forme. For if she forme eyther vpon the North wynde, or vpon the South winde, she will not willingly runne into the winde, but will runne vpon a syde wynde, or else downe the wynde. Also if an Hare doe forme in the water, it is a token that she is foule and mesled. In hunting of suche an Hare, lette the huntesmen take good heede all the daye vnto the Brookes sides, for suche an Hare will make all hir crossings, doublings, &c. vppon Brookes sides and plashes. Agayne, a huntesman •…•…uste marke whe∣ther it be a bucke Hare or a female, and whether she be wonted to the place where she sat, or a passenger: The which he maye knowe by suche obseruations as I haue before rehearsed: for doubtlesse, a Hare whiche is bred and wonted to a certaine place,

and especially a female Hare, (if a huntesman doe marke the first waye that she bendeth, or the firste compasse that she bendeth when she parteth first from the forme) will all the daye long holde the same wayes, and cast about the same coastes, and passe through the same muses vntill hir death or escape: vnlesse it be as I sayde, some Bucke which be come from some other place, or that the houndes runne him so harde, that he be enforced to make out endwayes before the houndes, and so to goe out of his haunt, the which they will all do commonly, by that time that they be well runne two houres without default. But at the fyrst they will doe (in manner) nothing else bu•…•… turne, crosse, and double, passing fyue or sire tymes one waye, and in one selfe same path. And you must vnderstande, that if you leese an Hare at any time, let the huntesmen yet remember and marke whiche pathes she bette, and what way she coasted: for another time if you finde the same Hare, she will doubtlesse keepe the same pla∣ces, and make the like doublings, crossings. &c. And by that meanes you shall preuent hir subtletie, and much help the hounds in knowing which way she will bend.

I haue seene a Hare so craftie, that as soone as she heard the sounde of an horne, she woulde ryse out of hir forme, yea, had she beene formed a quarter of a myle dystant from the huntes∣man that blewe, and woulde streyght wayes goe swymm•…•… in some poole, and abyde in the middest thereof vpon some rushbed, before the houndes came at hir, or hunted hir at all. But at the last I discouered hir subtleties, for I went close alongest by the poole, to see what might become of hir, and vncoupled my houn∣des there aboutes where I suspected she should be: and as soone as euer she hearde the horne, she starte, and leapt before my face into the poole, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to another bed in the midst thereof, and neyther with stone nor clodde that I coulde throwe at hir, woulde she ryse nor styrre: vntyll I was fayne to stryppe off my clothes, and swymme to hir: yea, and she taryed me almoste, vntyll I layde my hande vppon hir, before shee woulde styrre. But at the last, she 〈◊〉〈◊〉 out and came by the houndes, and stoode vppe afterwardes three houres

before we coulde kill hir, swymming and vsing all hir crossing and subtleties in the water. I haue also seene an Hare runne and stande vp two houres before a kennell of houndes, and then she hath started and raysed an other freshe Hare out of hir forme, and set hir selfe downe therein. I haue seene other agayne, swymme ouer two or three waters, the least whereof hath beene fourescore Taylers yardes ouer. I haue seene some agayne, which•…•… being runne well by the space of two houres or more, hath crepte vnder the dore of a Sheepecote, and hyd hir selfe a∣mongst the sheepe. And I haue seene Hares oftentimes runne into a flocke of sheepe in the fielde when they were hunted, and woulde n•…•…er leaue the flocke, vntill I was forced to couple vp my houndes, and folde vp the sheepe, or sometimes driue them to the Cote: and then the Hare would forsake them, and I vn∣coupled my houndes at hir agayne and kylled hir.

I haue seene that woulde take the grounde like a Coney, (whiche is called goyng to the vault) when they haue bene hun∣ted. I haue seene a Hare goe vp by one side of an hedge, and come downe by that other side, in suche sort, that there was no more but the thicknesse of the hedge betweene them. I haue seene an Hare being sore runne, get vp vppon an olde wall sixe foote heigth from the grounde, and squat or hyde hir selfe in the hole that was made for a Scaffolde. I haue seene some swymme ouer a brooke eyght yardes broade, more than twentie times within the length of an hundreth paces, and that in my sighte. For these causes the huntesman must be warye and cir∣cumspect in hunting of the Hare. For a hounde whiche is a per∣fect good Haryer, may be bolde to hunte any chace: for the Hare is the verie proper beaste to enter houndes well, and to make them tender nosed. But afterwardes when you woulde make your houndes to the Harte, they will quickly forsake the Hare, bycause the venyson of an Harte is mu•…•… more delicate and deyntie than the Hares is: and houndes do much•…•… more de∣sire it, bycause the Harte is also of greater sent than the Hare. An Hare lyueth not aboue seuen yeares at the moste, especially the Bucke. They are of this propertie, that if there be a Bucke

and a female which keepe one quarter commonly together, they will neuer suffer any strange Hare to syt by them, nor to abyde neare them, unlesse it be their owne yong ones. And therefore hath it beene an olde saying, that the more you hunt, the more Hares you shall haue, bycause when an Hare is killed, there will soone come other from some other quarter.