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.

A short obseruation set dovvne by the Translatour, concerning coursing with Greyhoundes.

BYcause I finde nothing in myne Author parti∣cularly written of coursing with Greyhounds, it seemeth vnto me, that they haue not that kynd of Uenerie so much in estimation in France, as we do hold it here in England. But that they vse their Greyhounds only to set backsets, or re∣ceytes for Deare, Wolfe, Foxe, or such like. Wheras we here in England do make great account of such pastime as is to be seen in coursing with Greyhoundes at Deare, Hare, Foxe, or suche like, euen of them selues, when there are neyther houndes hunting, nor other meane to help them. So that I haue thought it correspondent vnto this myne enterpryse, to set downe some briefe rules which I my selfe haue seene obserued in coursing with Greyhounds. You shall vnderstand then, that we vse three maner of courses with Greyhounds here in England, that is at the Deare, at the Hare, and at Foxe or other vermine. First for the course at the Deare (especially if it be a red Deare) you may deuide your Greyhounds into three sundry parts. viz. Teasers, Sidelayes, and Backsets, or Receytes. By this worde Teasers is ment, the first Greyhounde, or brase, or lease of Greyhoundes, which is let slip either at the whole hearde, to bring a Deare sin∣gle to y^• course, or els at a lowe deare, to make him streine before he come at the sidelayes & backsets. For a deare is of this nature, that when be once hath set his head forewarde any way, he will holde on the same waye, and neuer turneth and wrencheth as a Hare will do before the Greyhounds. Therefore a Greyhounde or a brase being let slip to tease as before sayd, will make a deare streyne in his course before he come at the sidelayes or backsets, & then they (being fresh) shal the better be able to take him. It is comōly 〈◊〉〈◊〉 also in coursing of deare (specially red deare, vt su.) to lay a brase of greyhounds or more by the midway, & those are called sidelays, bicause they are to be let slip at y^• midside of a

Deare. And y^t last sort of greyhoūds towards y^t latter end of y^t cource is called receit or backset: These last Greyhounds are cōmonly let slip full in the face of the Deare, to the end they may the more amase him: And so they with the help of the other teasers & sidelayes may the bet∣ter take holde on him all at once and pull him downe, whereas the sidelayes are to be let slippe at y^t side of a Deare or after him, for feare least they make him swarue from the backsettes: A redde Deare wil beare sometimes foure or fiue brase of Greyhoundes before they can pull him downe: such wonderfull force he is of, and can so easily shake off a Greyhounde when he pincheth him. The best obseruation that is to be taken in making the course at a Deare, is that the Teasers do stand close and vpon a cleare winde: For a Deare will quickly finde them els: but beyng past the Teasers how soeuer the rest lie, he will not lightly turne heade. In coursing at a Deare if one Greyhounde go endwayes by another, it is accoumpted a Cote, so that he whiche doth so go by his fellow do reach the Deare and pinche: and in cour∣sing of a redde Deare that Greyhounde whiche doth first pinche, shall winne the wager: but in coursing of a Fallow deare, your Grey∣hounde must pinche and holde, or els he winneth not the wager. It is also to be obserued that when you lay to course a Deare, you marke the place & Countrie where you be. For in a padocke (which is a close course in a parke paled or rayled in) it is easie to see whiche way the cource is to be made: since the Deare is held in with pales or rayles & cānot swarue: but in a plaine heath or countrie, you must marke which way it is most likely that he will bend, & there lay your Greyhounds behind some bushe or tree: that the Deare finde not faulte at them & so breake backe. This in effect is asmuch as it is needefull to be cōsidered in the course at a Deare. But neuer let slippe a yong Greyhound at a Deare without the cōpanie of some olde flesht dog: for euery dog wil not byte a Deare at the firste course. And surely he that hath a good Haregreyhounde, shal do very euill to course a Deare with him, for it will both bruse him & make him lyther: and the course at the Hare is much y^• nobler pastime. To course y^• Hare you must send either Hare∣finders before you to find some Hare sitting, or els your self with your cōpanie may range & beate ouer the fields vntil you either find a Hare sittyng, or starte hyr. I haue marked the harefinders in theyr seeking of

a Hare in Northampton •…•…hyre, and they will neuer beate but one end of a furlong: and that shall be the ende which is downe the winde or frō the winde: for they hold opinion, that a Hare will not (by hir wil) sit with hyr head into the winde. He that will seeke a Hare muste go ouerthwart the landes. And cuery lande that he passeth ouer, let hym beginne with his eye at his foote, and so looke downe the lande to the furlongs end. First on the one side & then on the other: and so he shall find y^• Hare sitting in hyr forme: as soone as he espieth hyr he must crie Sa How. Then they whiche leade the Greyhoundes may come neare: and you may appoynt which Greyhoundes shal course. Then let him which founde the Hare go towardes hyr and say, vp pusse vp, vntill she ryse out of hyr forme. Some Hare will not ryse out of hyr forme vn∣till she be touched: and some will abyd•…•… to be lifted out by the eares, the whiche is a token of a Hare that will holde out and make a fayre course. If the Hare sit neare vnto any close or couert, and haue hyr head towardes the same with a fayre fielde behinde hir, you may ryde with asmuch companie as you haue betwene hyr and the couert before she be put vp, and then peraduenture when she ryseth, she will take towards the champayne: but lightly a Hare will make hyr course the same way that hyr head stādes when she sitteth in hyr forme. When a Hare is put vp, you muste giue hyr grounde (whiche is called lawe) xij. score yeardes or more, according to the grounde & countrie where she sitteth: and then let slippe your Greyhoundes. It is a gallant sport to see how the Hare will turne and winde to saue hyr selfe out of the dogges mouth. So that sometimes euen when you thinke that your Greyhounde doth (as it were) gape to take hyr, she will turne and cast thē a good way behind hyr: & so saueth hir self by turnyng, wrenching, & winding, vntil she reach some couert & so saue hyr life. In coursing at the Hare it is not material which dogge killeth hyr (which hunters call bearyng of an Hare) but he that giueth most Cotes, or most tur∣nes, winneth the wager. A Cote is whē a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 goeth endways by his fellow & giueth the Hare a turne (which is called setting a Hare aboute) but if he coast and so come by his fellowe, that is no Cote. Likewise if one Greyhounde do go by another, and then be not able to reache the Hare himselfe and turne hyr, this is but strippyng and no Cote. If there be no Cotes gyuen betwene a •…•…rase of Greyhounds,

but the one of them serueth the other at turnyng, then he whiche gy∣ueth the Hare most turnes shall winne the wager: and if the one do gyue as many turnes as the other, then he whiche beareth the Hare shall winne the wager. A Cote serueth for two turnes, and twoo strippyngs or Ierkinnes (as some call them) stande for a Cote: also many times a Hare doth but wrenche and not turne: for it is not cal∣led a turne vnlesse the Hare be set aboute, and do turne (as it were) rounde aboute: two such wrenches stande for a turne. Also sometimes a Hare that is commonly coursed wil know the countrie: and bycause she coueteth the hard beaten wayes, she will (of hyr self) swarue at such a way, and that is neyther to be accompted a turne nor a wrench: but if neyther of your Greyhoundes be able to turne the Hare vntill the ende of the course, then he which went foremost throughout the course must winne the wager. And for the better decidyng of all these que∣stions, if it be at a solempne assembly, they vse to appoynt Judges whiche are expert in coursing, and shall stande on the hilles sides whe∣ther they perceyue the Hare will •…•…ende, to marke whiche dogge doeth best, and to giue iudgement thereof accordingly: some vse when theyr Greyhoundes be both of a colour to binde a handkerchef aboute one of theyr neckes for a difference. But if he were my Dogge he shoulde not weare the handkerchief, for I could neuer yet •…•…ee any dogge win the course whiche ware the handkerchief. And if standeth to good rea∣son, that he which w•…•…areth the handkerchef shoulde be combred there∣with, both bycause it gathereth winde, and also bycause it doth parte∣ly stoppe a Dogges breath: if the Greyhoundes be but yong or slowe, you may course with a lease at one Hare, but that is seldome seene, and a brase of Dogges is ynow for suche a poore beast. When you go to course eyther Hare or Deare, or to Hunte any chace, it is a forfayture (amongst vs here in Englande) to name •…•…yther 〈◊〉〈◊〉, Ipe, Monkie, or Hedgehogge: and he whiche nameth any of these shoulde be payde with a slippe vppon the buttockes in the fielde before he go any furder. To course at a Foxe requyreth none other Irte than to stande close and vppon a cleare winde, on the outside of the couert by some bottome or place where it is likely that he will come out: and to gyue hym head inough, for else he will turne backe agayne, and

there is no dan̄ger in giuing of him head where there is plain groūd, for the slowest dogge y^t euer ranne wil ouertake a Fox if he haue field roome. Some vse to watch a Fox when he goeth out to his feede, & to stād in y^e most likely places in a moone shine night & so to course him: but that is but vncertayne vnlesse it be in clicketting time, when they go prowde: then you shall heare thē barke & howle one after another. But otherwise the surest coursing is when you hunte with hoūdes, to set your greyhounds vnderneath the winde very close in some bottom or little playne, & there to course the For when he commeth out. This course is short, but it is dangerous, for oftentimes a good Greyhound is marred with a Fox: & therfore few men will course a Fox vnlesse it be with old Greyhoūds which are brused dogs, and which they make small accoūpt of: and you shal see an old bitten dogge when he ouer∣taketh a Fox, thrust his forelegges •…•…ckwardes & fall vpon him with his chest: & so saue his legges frō bytyng when he taketh the Fox: and agayne as soone as euer he layeth hold on him, he wil shake him about his eares continually, vntill he haue broken his backe or killed him: for by that meanes he giueth the Fox no leaue nor tyme to byte hym. There is another kinde of coursing whiche I haue more vsed than any of these: and that is at a Deare in the night: wherin there is more arte to be vsed thā in any course els. But bicause I haue promised my bet∣ters to be a friend to al Parkes, Forrests, and Chaces, therfore I will not here expresse the experience which hath bene dearer vnto me, parti∣cularly, than it is meete to be published generally. But thus much I haue thought meete of my self to adde concernyng coursing w^t Grey∣hoūdes, the which is doubtlesse a noble pastime, and as meete for No∣bilitie and Gentlemen, as any of the other kyndes of Uenerie before declared: Especially the course at the Hare whiche is a sporte conti∣nually in sight, and made without any great trauayle: so that recrea∣tion is therein to be founde without vnmeasurable toyle and payne: Whereas in huntyng with houndes, although the pastyme be great, yet many tymes the toyle & payne is also exceedyng great: And then it may well be called, eyther a paynefull pastyme, or a pleasant payne.

FINIS.