OF GREYHOUNDS AND OF THEIR NATURE
The greyhound is a kind of hound there be few which have not seen
some. Nevertheless for to devise how a greyhound should be held for
good and fair, I shall devise their manner. Of all manner of
greyhounds there be both good and bad, nevertheless the best hue is
red fallow with a black muzzle. The goodness of greyhounds comes of
right courage, and of the good nature of their father and their
mother. And also men may well help to make them good in the
encharning[158] of them with other good greyhounds, and feed them well
with the best that he taketh. The good greyhound should be of middle
size, neither too big nor too little, and then he is good for all
beasts. If he were too big he is nought for small beasts, and if he
were too little he were nought for the great beasts. Nevertheless
whoso can maintain both, it is good that he have both of the great and
of the small, and of the middle size. A greyhound should have a long
head and somewhat large made, resembling the making of a bace[159]
(pike). A good large mouth and good seizers the one against the other,
so that the nether jaw pass not the upper, nor that the upper pass not
the nether. Their eyes are red or black as those of a sparrow hawk,
the ears small and high in the manner of a serpent, the neck great and
long bowed like a swan's neck, his chest great and open, the hair
under his chyn hanging down in the manner of a lion.[160] His
shoulders as a roebuck, the forelegs straight and great enough and not
too high in the legs, the feet straight and round as a cat, great
claws, long head as a cow[161] hanging down.
[158] Encharning, feed with the flesh of game, to blood.
[159] Should be "luce," and G. de F. has "luz," from Lat. _lucius_,
pike, p. 103.
[160] G. de F., p. 104, says: "La harpe bien avalée en guise de lion,"
_harpe_ meaning in this instance "flanks."
[161] "Long head as a cow" is evidently a mistake of translator or
scribe. G. de F. has: "le costé lonc comme une biche et bien avalé"
("the sides long as a hind, and hanging down well").
The bones and the joints of the chine great and hard like the chine of
a hart. And if his chine be a little high it is better than if it were
flat. A little pintel and little ballocks, and well trussed near the
ars, small womb,[162] the hocks straight and not bent as of an ox, a
cat's tail making a ring at the end and not too high, the two bones of
the chine behind broad of a large palm's breadth or more. Also there
are many good greyhounds with long tails right swift. A good greyhound
should go so fast that if he be well slipped he should overtake any
beast, and there where he overtakes it he should seize it where he can
get at it the soonest, _nevertheless he shall last longer if he bite
in front or by the side_.[163] He should be courteous and not too
fierce, following well his master and doing whatever he command him.
He shall be good and kindly _and clean_, glad and joyful and playful,
well willing and goodly to all manner of folks save to the wild beasts
to whom he should be fierce, spiteful and eager.
[162] The following words should be added here, a line having been
omitted by the scribe: "and straight near the back as a lamprey, the
thighs great and straight as a hare." They are in Shirley MS. and G.
de F., p. 104.
[163] In lieu of this original passage G. de F., p. 105, has: "sans
abayer, et sans marchander" ("without baying or bargaining").
[Illustration: THE SMOOTH AND THE ROUGH-COATED GREYHOUNDS (From MS. f.
fr. 616, _Bib. Nat._, Paris)]