OF THE MANNER AND HABITS AND CONDITIONS OF HOUNDS
After that I have spoken of the nature of beasts of venery and of
chase which men should hunt, now I will tell you of the nature of the
hounds which hunt and take them. And first of their noble conditions
that be so great and marvellous in some hounds that there is no man
can believe it, unless he were a good skilful hunter, and well
knowing, and that he haunted them long, for a hound is a most
reasonable beast, and best knowing of any beast that ever God made.
And yet in some case I neither except man nor other thing, for men
find it in so many stories and (see) so much nobleness in hounds,
always from day to day, that as I have said there is no man that
liveth, but must think it. Nevertheless natures of men and all beasts
go ever more descending and decreasing both of life and of goodness
and of strength and of all other things so wonderfully, _as the Earl
of Foix Phebus sayeth in his book_, that when he seeth the hounds that
be now hunting and thinketh of the hounds that he hath seen in the
time that is passed, and also of the goodness and the truth, which was
sometimes in the lords of this world, and other common men, and seeth
what now is in them at this time, truly he saith that there is no
comparison, and this knoweth well every man that hath any good reason.
But now let God ordain thereof whatever His good will is. But to draw
again to my matter, and tell the nobleness of the hounds, the which
have been, some good tales I shall tell you the which I find in true
writings. First of King Claudoneus[103] of France, the which sent once
after his great court whereof were other kings which held of him land,
among the which was the King Appollo of Lyonnys that brought with him
to the court his wife and a greyhound that he had, that was both good
and fair. The King Claudoneus of France had a seemly young man for his
son, of twenty years of age, and as soon as he saw the Queen of
Lyonnys he loved her and prayed her of (for her) love. The Queen was a
good lady and loved well her lord, forsook him and would him not, and
said (to) him that if he spake to her any more thereof that she would
tell it to the King of France, and to her Lord. And after that the
feast was passed, King Appollo of Lyonnys turned again, he and his
wife to their country. And when they were so turned again, he and his
wife, the King Claudoneus son of France was before him with a great
fellowship of men of arms for to ravish his wife from him. The King
Appollo of Lyonnys that was a wonderful good knight of his hounds
(hands?) notwithstanding that he was unarmed, defended himself and his
wife in the best wise that he could unto the time that he was wounded
to the death, then he withdrew himself and his wife into a tower. And
the King Claudoneus son, the which would not leave the lady, went in
and took the lady, and would have defiled her, and then she said to
him "Ye have slain my lord, and (now) ye would dishonour me, certes I
would sooner be dead," then she drew herself to (from) a window and
leapt into the river of Loire that ran under the tower and anon she
was drowned. And after that within a little while, the King Appollo of
Lyonnys died of his wounds that he had received, and on the same day
he was cast into the river. The greyhound that I have spoke of, the
which was always with the king his master, when his lord was cast in
the river leapt after him into the river, insomuch that with his teeth
he drew his lord out of the river, and made a great pit with his claws
in the best wise that he could, and with his muzzle. And so the
greyhound always kept his lord about half a year in the pit, and kept
his lord from all manner of beasts and fowls. And if any man ask
whereof he lived I say that he lived on carrion and of other feeding
such as he might come to. So it befell that the King Claudoneus of
France rode to see the estate of his realm, and (it) befell that the
king passed there where the greyhound was that kept his lord and
master, and the greyhound arose against him, and began to yelp at him.
The King Claudoneus of France the which was a good man and of good
perception, anon when he saw the greyhound, knew that it was the
greyhound that King Appollo of Lyonnys had brought to his court,
whereof he had great wonder, and he went himself there where the
greyhound was and saw the pit, and then he made some of his men alight
from their horses for to look what was therein, and therein they found
the King Appollo's body all whole. And anon as the King Claudoneus of
France saw him, he knew it was the King Appollo of Lyonnys, whereof he
was right sorry and sore aggrieved, and ordained a cry throughout all
his realm, that whoso would tell him the truth of the deed he would
give him whatsoever that he would ask. Then came a damsel that was in
the tower when the King Appollo of Lyonnys was dead, and thus she said
to the King Claudoneus of France, "Sir," quoth she, "if you will grant
me a boon that I shall ask and assure me to have it, before all your
men, I shall show you him that hath done the deed," and the King swore
to her before his men, and it so befell that the King Claudoneus son
of France was beside his father. "Sir," she said, "here is your son
the which hath done this deed. Now require I you as ye have sworn to
me that ye give him to me, I will no other gift of you." The King
Claudoneus of France turned him then towards his son and said thus:
"Thou cursed harlot, thou hast shamed and shent (disgraced) me and
truly I shall shend (disgrace) you. And though I have no more children
yet shall I not spare." Then he commanded to his men to make a great
fire, and cast his son therein, and he turned him toward the damsel
when the fire was great alight, and thus to her he said: "Damsel, now
take ye him for I deliver him to you, as I promised and assured you."
The damsel durst not come nigh, for by that time he was all burnt.
This ensample have I brought forth for the nobleness of hounds and
also of lords that have been in olden times. But I trow that few lords
be now that would do so even and so open justice. A hound is true to
his lord and his master, and of good love and true.
[103] In G. de F. "Clodoveus," p. 82.
A hound is of great understanding and of great knowledge, a hound hath
great strength and great goodness, a hound is a wise beast and a kind
(one). A hound has a great memory and great smelling,[104] a hound has
great diligence and great might, a hound is of great worthiness and of
great subtlety, a hound is of great lightness and of great
perseverance (?), a hound is of good obedience, for he will learn as a
man all that a man will teach him. A hound is full of good sport;
hounds are so good that there is scarcely a man that would not have of
them, some for one craft, and some for another. Hounds are hardy, for
a hound dare well keep his master's house, and his beasts, and also he
will keep all his master's goods, and he would sooner die than
anything be lost in his keeping. And yet to affirm the nobleness of
hounds, I shall tell you a tale of a greyhound that was Auberie's of
Moundydier, of which men may see the painting in the realm of France
in many places. Aubery was a squire of the king's house of France, and
upon a day that he was going from the court to his own house, and as
he passed by the woods of Bondis, the which is nigh Paris, and led
with him a well good and a fair greyhound that he had brought up. A
man that hated him for great envy without any other reason, who was
called Makarie, ran upon him within the wood and slew him without
warning, for Auberie was not aware of him. And when the greyhound
sought his master and found him he covered him with earth and with
leaves with his claws and his muzzle in the best way that he could.
And when he had been there three days and could no longer abide for
hunger, he turned again to the king's court. There he found Makarie,
who was a great gentleman, who had slain his master, and as soon as
the greyhound perceived Makarie, he ran upon him, and would have
maimed him, unless men had hindered him. The King of France, who was
wise and a man of perception, asked what it was, and men told him the
truth. The greyhound took from the boards what he could, and brought
to his master and put meat in his mouth, and the same wise the
greyhound did three days or four. And then the King made men follow
the greyhound, for to see where he bare the meat that he took in the
court. And then they found Auberie dead and buried. And then the King,
as I have said, made come many of the men of his court, and made them
stroke the greyhound's side, and cherish him and made his men lead him
by the collar towards the house, but he never stirred. And then the
King commanded Makarie to take a small piece of flesh and give it to
the greyhound. And as soon as the greyhound saw Makarie, he left the
flesh, and would have run upon him. And when the King saw that, he had
great suspicions about Makarie, and said (to) him that he must needs
fight against the greyhound. And Makarie began to laugh, but anon the
King made him do the deed, and one of the kinsmen of Auberie saw the
great marvel of the greyhound and said that he would swear upon the
sacrament as is the custom in such a case for the greyhound, and
Makarie swore on the other side, and then they were led into our
Lady's Isle at Paris and there fought the greyhound and Makarie. For
which Makarie had a great two-handed staff, and they fought so that
Makarie was discomfitted, and then the king commanded that the
greyhound the which had Makarie under him should be taken up, and then
the King made enquiry of the truth of Makarie, the which acknowledged
he had slain Aubrey in treason, and therefore he was hanged and drawn.
[104] G. de F., p. 84, says "_sentement_," good sense, feeling, or
sympathy.
The bitches be jolly in their love commonly twice in a year, but they
have no term of their heat, for every time of the year some be jolly.
When they be a twelvemonth old, they become jolly, and be jolly while
they await the hounds without any defence, twelve days or less,[105]
and sometimes fifteen days, according as to whether they be of hot
nature or of cold, the one more than another, or whether some be in
better condition than others. And also men may well help them thereto,
for if they give them much meat they abide longer in their heat than
if they had but little. And also if they were cast in a river twice in
a day they should be sooner out of their jollity. They bear their
whelps nine weeks or more; the whelps be blind when they be whelped
till they be nine days old and then they may well see and lap well
when they be a month old, but they have great need of their dam to the
time that they be two months old, and then they should be well fed
with goat's milk or with cow's milk and crumbs of bread made small and
put therein, especially in the morn and at night. Because that the
night is more cold than the day. And also men should give them crumbs
in flesh-broth, and in this wise men may nourish them till they be
half a year old, and by that time they shall have cast their hooks,
and when they have cast their hooks, they should teach them to eat dry
bread and lap water little by little, for a hound that is nourished
with grease and fat broth when he casts his hooks, and if he hath
always sops or tit-bits, he is a chis[106] (dainty) hound and of evil
ward. And also they be not so well breathed than if they have eaten
always bread and water. When the bitches be lined they lose their
time, and also while they be great with whelps, and also while their
whelps suck. If they are not lined, soon they will lose their time,
for their teats remain great and grow full of wind until the time that
they should have had their whelps. And so that they should not lose
their time men spaye them, save these that men will keep open to bear
whelps. And also a spayed bitch lasteth longer in her goodness than
other two that be not spayed.[107] And if a bitch be with whelps the
which be not of ward let the bitch fast all the whole day, and give
her then with a little grease the juice of a herb men calleth titimal,
the which the apothecaries knoweth well, and she shall cast her
whelps. Nevertheless it is a great peril namely if the whelps be great
and formed within the bitch. The greatest fault of hounds is that they
live not long enough, most commonly they live but twelve years. And
also men should let run no hounds of what condition that they be nor
hunt them until the time that they were a twelve month old and past.
And also they can hunt but nine years at the most.
[105] G. de F., p. 85, "Au moins," at least.
[106] "Chis," or "cheese," hound, probably dainty hound, a chooser,
from "cheosan," Mid. Eng. "choose," to distinguish: also written
"ches," "chees." (Stratmann.)
[107] Lasts longer good, _i.e._ lasts as long as two hounds that have
not been spayed. G. de F. (p. 86) adds: "or at least one and a half."