OF ALAUNTES AND OF THEIR NATURE
An alaunte is of the manner and nature of hounds. And the good
alauntes be those which men call alauntes gentle. Others there be that
men call alauntes veutreres, others be alauntes of the butcheries.
They that be gentle should be made and shaped as a greyhound, even of
all things save of the head, the which should be great and short. And
though there be alauntes of all hues, the true hue of a good alaunte,
and that which is most common should be white with black spots about
the ears, small eyes and white standing ears and sharp above. Men
should teach alauntes better, and to be of better custom than any
other beasts, for he is better shaped and stronger for to do harm than
any other beast. And also commonly alauntes are stordy[164] (giddy) of
their own nature and have not such good sense as many other hounds
have, for if a man prick[165] a horse the alauntes will run gladly and
bite the horse. Also they run at oxen and sheep, and swine, and at all
other beasts, or at men or at other hounds. For men have seen alauntes
slay their masters. In all manner of ways alauntes are treacherous and
evil understanding, and more foolish and more harebrained than any
other kind of hound. And no one ever saw three well conditioned and
good. For the good alaunte should run as fast as a greyhound, and any
beast that he can catch he should hold with his seizers and not leave
it. For an alaunte of his nature holds faster of his biting than can
three greyhounds the best any man can find. And therefore it is the
best hound to hold and to nyme (seize) all manner of beasts and hold
them fast. And when he is well conditioned and perfect, men hold that
he is good among all other hounds. But men find few that be perfect. A
good alaunte should love his master and follow him, and help him in
all cases, and do what his master commands him. A good alaunte should
go fast and be hardy to take all kinds of beasts without turning, and
hold fast and not leave it, and be well conditioned, and well at his
master's command, and when he is such, men hold, as I have said, that
he is the best hound that can be to take all manner of beasts. That
other kind of alaunte is called veutreres. They are almost shaped as a
greyhound of full shape, they have a great head, great lips and great
ears, and with such men help themselves at _the baiting of the bull_
and at hunting of a wild boar, for it is their nature to hold fast,
but they be (heavy) and foul (ugly) that if they be slain by the wild
boar or by the bull, it is not very great loss. And when they can
overtake a beast they bite it and hold it still, but by themselves
they could never take a beast unless greyhounds were with them to make
the beast tarry. That other kind of alauntes of the butcheries is such
as you may always see in good towns, _that are called great butchers'
hounds_, the which the butchers keep to help them to bring their
beasts that they buy in the country, for if an ox escape from the
butchers that lead him, his hounds would go and take him and hold him
until his master has come, and should help him to bring him again to
the town. They cost little to keep as they eat the foul things in the
butcher's row. Also they keep their master's house, they be good _for
bull baiting_ and for hunting wild boar, whether it be with greyhounds
at the tryst or with running hounds at bay within the covert. For when
a wild boar is within a strong hatte of wood (thicket), perhaps all
day the running hounds will not make him come out. And when men let
such mastiffs run at the boar they take him in the thick spires (wood)
so that any man can slay him, or they make him come out of his
strength, so that he shall not remain long at bay.
[164] G. de F. has "estourdiz," which the "Master of Game" translates
as "stordy" or sturdy, but the modern sense would be hairbrained,
giddy, not sturdy.
[165] Means _chase_ a horse. G. de F. says: "Se on court un cheval,
ils le prennent voulentiers," p. 100.