Chapter XXXVI

OF THE ORDINANCE AND THE MANNER OF HUNTING WHEN THE KING WILL HUNT IN FORESTS OR IN PARKS FOR THE HART WITH BOWS AND GREYHOUNDS AND STABLE

_The Master of the Game should be in accordance with the master forester or parker where it should be that the King should hunt such a day, and if the tract be wide, the aforesaid forester or parker should warn the sheriff of the shire where the hunting shall be, for to order sufficient stable,[239] and carts, also to bring the deer that should be slain to the place where the curées at huntings have been usually held. And thence he should warn the hunters and fewterers whither they should come, and the forester should have men ready there to meet them, that they go no farther, nor straggle about for fear of frightening the game, before the King comes. And if the hunting shall be in a park all men should remain at the park gate, save the stable that ought to be set ere the King comes, and they should be set by the foresters or parkers. And early in the morning the Master of the Game should be at the wood to see that all be ready, and he or his lieutenant or such hunters that he wishes, ought to set the greyhounds and who so be teasers[240] to the King or to the Queen, or to their attendants. As often as any hart cometh out he should when he passes blow a mote and recheat, and let slip to tease it forth, and if it be a stag, he should let him pass as I said and rally to warn the fewterers what is coming out. And to lesser deer should no wight let run, and if he hath seen the stag, not unless he were commanded.[241] And then the master forester or parker ought to show him the King's standing if the King would stand with his bow, and where all the remnant of the bows would stand. And the yeoman for the King's bows ought to be there to keep and make the King's standing, and remain there without noise, till the King comes. And the grooms that keep the king's dogs and broken greyhounds should be there with him, for they belong to the yeomen's office, and also the Master of the Game should be informed by the forester or parker what game the king should find within the set,[242] and when all this is done, then should the Master of the Game worthe_ (mount) _upon_ (his) _horse and meet the King and bring him to his standing and tell him what game is within the set, and how the greyhounds be set, and also the stable, and also tell him where it is best for him to stand with his bow or with his greyhounds, for it is to be known that the attendants of his chamber and of the queen's should be best placed, and the two fewterers ought to make fair lodges of green boughs at the tryste to keep the King and Queen and ladies, and gentlewomen and also the greyhounds from the sun and bad weather. And when the King is at his standing or at his tryste, whichever he prefers, and the Master of the Game or his lieutenant have set the bows and assigned who shall lead the Queen to her tryste, then he should blow the three long motes for the uncoupling. And the hart hounds and the harriers that before have been led by some forester or parker thither where they should uncouple, and all the hounds that belong to both the mutes_ (packs) _waiting for the Master of the Game's blowing. Then should the sergeant of the mute of the hart-hounds, if there be much rascal within the set, make all them of office, save the yeomen of the horse, hardel[243] their hounds, and in every hardel two or three couple of hounds at the most suffice. And then to stand abroad in the woods for relays, and then blow three motes to the uncoupling. And then should the harrier uncouple his hounds and blow three motes and seek forth saying loud and long, "hoo sto ho sto, mon amy, ho sto" and if they draw far from him in any unruly manner he should speak to them in that case as when he seeketh for the hare. And as oft as he passes within the set from one quarter to another, he should blow drawing, and when he is passed the boundary of the quarter, and entered into a new quarter, he should blow three motes and seek forth, but if so be, that his hounds enchace anything as he wishes, and if any hound happen to find of the King's_ (game), _he should hue to him by his name and say loud: "Oyez a Bemond, oyez-oyez, assemble, assemble," or what the hound is named, "assemble, assemble" and jopey and rally. And if it be an hart and any of the hart hounds meet with it they should blow a mote and rechace and relay, and go forth therewith all rechacing among. And if it come to the bows or to greyhounds and be dead, he should blow the death when he is come thither, and reward his hounds a little, and couple them up and go again to his place. And if the hart has escaped he should no longer rechace, but blow drawing and draw in again, and in the best way that he can, take up his hounds and get in front of them. And after that the harriers have well run and well made the rascal void,[244] then should the sergeant and the berners of the hart hounds blow three motes, the one after the other and uncouple there where they suppose the best ligging_ (lair) _is for a hart, and seek as before is said; unless it be the season when the hart's head is tender, then he shall use some of the aforesaid words of seeking to the hounds: "Le doulez, mon amy, le doulez, le doules," and if his hounds find anything do as before is said, and if it be a hart, do as above is said, as he may know by his fues or by men that meet with him. And if it be ought else, the berner ought to blow drawing, and who meeteth with him_ (the hart) _call to them, and the berner should say "Sto arere so how, so how." And if the lymerer meet withal, or see by the fues that it is an hart, he should sue thereto till he be dead. If it go to the greyhounds and if it go to the bows, and be smitten anon, as he findeth blood he should take up his hounds and lead them thence and reward them a little, and then if he escape out of the set, he should reward his hounds, and take them up and go again to the wood and look if he may meet with anything. And as often as he meeteth and findeth, or his hounds run on a fresh scent, do as before is said. And one thing is to be known, that the hart-hounds should never be uncoupled before any other, unless a hart be readily harboured, and that he may be sued to and moved with the lymer, or else that they be uncoupled to a herd of great male deer at the view, namely within a set in a forest or in a park, there where there is a great change of rascal. And that is the cause why the other hounds shall be first uncoupled to make the rascal void, for small deer will sooner leave their covert than will a great hart, unless it be a hind that hath her calf in the wood, and hath lately calved. And when the rascal is thus voided then the hart hounds are uncoupled and they find the great old wily deer that will not lightly void, and they enchace him well and lustily and make him void both to bows and to greyhounds, so that they fully do their duty. And all the while that the hunting lasteth should the carts go about from place to place for to bring the deer to the curée. And there should the server[245] of the hall be to arrange the curées, and to lay the game in a row, all the heads one way--and every deer's feet to the other's back. The harts should be laid in two or three rows_ (by themselves) _according to whether there be many or few, and the rascal in the same way by themselves, and they should take care that no man come within the curées till the King come, save the Master of the Game. And when the covert is well hunted and cleared, then should the Master of the Game come to the King to know if he would hunt any more. And if the King say yea, then shall the Master of the Game if the greyhounds or bows or stable need not to be removed, blow two long motes for the hounds, and forthwith blow drawing with three long motes that men should stand still, and the hunters may know that they should come to a new seeking with their hounds. And when the hounds be come there where they should uncouple blow three long motes and do and seek and blow, as is before said. And if the bows and greyhounds and stable should be removed, then should he blow a mote and stroke, without the mote in the middle, for to draw men together, and thereby may men know that the king will hunt more ere he go home. And when men come together, then should the Master of the Game see to the placing of the King and of the Queen and of the bows and of the greyhounds and of the stable, as I have said here before, and the hunters to their seeking, and of all other things do in the same manner as I have said. And if the king will hunt no more, then should the Master of his Game, if the King will not blow, blow a mote and stroke with a mote in the middle and the sergeant or whoso bloweth next him, and no man else, should blow the first mote but only the middle, and so every man as oft as he likes to stroke, if they have obtained that which they hunted for. And the middle mote should not be blown save by him that bloweth next the master. And thereby may men know as they hear men stroke homeward whether they have well sped or not. And this way of stroking should serve in the manner I have rehearsed for all hunting save when the hart is slain with strength. And when the mote is blown and stroked, then should the Master of the Game lead the King to the curée, and show it him, and no man as I have said above should come within it, but every man_ (keep) _without it. And then the King shall tell the Master of the Game what deer he would were_ (given away) _and to whom, and_ (after this) _if the King wishes to stay he may. Nevertheless he usually goes home when he hath done this. And then should the Master of the Game begin at one row and so forth, and tythe all the deer right as they lie, rascal and others, and deliver it to the proctors of the church that ought to have it. And then_ (separate) _the deer that the king commandeth him to deliver, and if any of them that should have part of the deer be not there he should charge the master forester to send it home, and then he should deliver a certain_ (part) _of the remnant to the afore said sewers and to the sergeant of the larder and the remnants should be given by the Master of the Game, some to the gentlemen of the country by the information of the forester or parker, as they have been friendly to the bailie, and the remnant to the officers and hunters as he liketh best. And it is to be known that every man bow and fewterer that hath slain anything should mark it that he might challenge his fee, and have it at the curée, but let him beware that he marks no lord's mark nor_ (other) _fewterers nor hunters, or he will lose his fee. And also it is to be known that the fees of all follies belong to the master of the harriers, if so be that he or his deputy be at the hunting, and blow three motes and else not, in which case the Master of the Game can give it to whom he wishes save what the King slayeth with his bow or the Queen or my lord the prince, or that which they bid with their own mouth to let run to. And all shall be judged folly of red deer which is beneath the hart, and of fallow deer which is beneath the buck, nevertheless if the harrier would challenge the deer for folly, and it is not folly, if there be a strife with him who asketh the fee, the Master of the Game shall judge it, and right so shall he do of all these strifes for fees between bow and bow, and fewterer and fewterer, and of all other strifes and discords that belong to hunting. And when all the deer be delivered, and the hunters and the fewterers of the kennel be assigned to undo the deer that be delivered for the king's larder, then should the grooms chacechiens of the hart-hounds gather the paunches and small guts together and do with them as is advised in the chapter of the hart hunting with strength, and get them a skin to lie thereover, and do as in the same chapter described with the greatest and best head_ (antlers) _that they can find in all the curée. Save the blowing of the prise and the stroking and the menee, the bay should wait till the curées be done, and the flesh taken away, and there should the Master of the Game be, and the sergeant and all the yeomen and grooms of the office. And if the greyhounds[246] shall be rewarded it should be done right as is devised in the aforesaid chapter, except that the blowings above described shall be left out. And also whosoever slew the deer the yeomen of the office should have the skin that lyeth upon the deer when the hounds are rewarded. And also it is to know that the harriers when they have run shall be rewarded with the paunches and guts, but there is no need to make a long bay with the hart's head to them, for they are made to run and chase all game that one wishes, and that is the cause why the master of them has the fees of all deer save the hart and the buck, unless it be in the certain case before mentioned. And when the curée is done, and the bay made, then is the time for every man to draw homeward to his supper and to make himself as merry as he can. And when the yeomen berners and grooms have led home the hounds and set them well up and supplied them with water and straw according to what they need, then should they go to their supper and drink well and make merry. And of the fees it is to be known that the man whoever he be, who has smitten a deer while posted at his tree with a death-stroke so that the deer be got before the sun goes down, he shall have the skin. And if he be not posted or has gone from his tree, or has done otherwise than is said, he shall have none. And as of the fewterers, if they be posted, the first teaser and receiver[247] that draweth the deer down shall divide the skin.[248] Nevertheless in other lord's hunting whoso pincheth first and goeth therewith to the death he shall have the skin. And all the deer's necks are the hunters, and one shoulder and the chine is his that undoeth the deer, and the other shoulder is the forester's or the parker's fee that keepeth the bailie that is hunted. And all the skins of harts slain with strength of the hart-hounds, belong to the master of the hart-hounds as his fee, that is to say he that hath the wages of twelve pence a day for the office. It is to be known that when the king hunteth in the park or in the forest with bows and greyhounds, and it happens that any hart be slain with strength of hart-hounds, all the hart hunters after the King or the Master of his Game have blown a mote and stroked, all day they should stroke the assise that belongeth to the hart slain with strength, but not with eight long motes, but with four short and four long motes, as is in the aforesaid chapter plainly devised. And all the other hunters should stroke the common stroking as is above described and said._

[239] Men and hounds stationed at different places, usually on the boundaries of the district in which the game was to be roused and hunted, or at convenient passes from whence the hounds could be slipped at the game.

[240] Teasers, a small hound to tease forth or put up the game.

[241] A difficult sentence to unravel. In the Shirley MS. it runs: "and yif hit have eseyne nought to ye stagge, but yif he were avaunced."

[242] "Within the set" means within that quarter of the forest or park around which are set or stationed the men and hounds, called the stable.

[243] To tie the couples of hounds together.

[244] Made the smaller deer clear out of the forest.

[245] The beginning of this sentence relating to the "server of the hall" is not in our MS. but in the Shirley MS.

[246] Shirley MS., "harthounds."

[247] Shirley MS. has "resteynour."

[248] This means that the men in whose charge the teasers and receivers were placed were given the skin or fee.

END OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM MS.
VESPASIAN B. XII.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE CONCLUDING PASSAGE OF THE SHIRLEY MANUSCRIPT (Add. MS. 16, 165) IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM:--

_Now I pray unto every creature that hath heard or read this little treatise of whatever estate or condition he be that there where there is too little of good language that of their benignity and grace they will add more, and there where there is too much superfluity that they will also abridge it as may seem best by their good and wise discretion. Not presuming that I had over much knowledge and ability to put into writing this royal disportful and noble game of hunting so effectually that it might not be submitted to the correction of all gentle hunters. And in my simple manner as best I could and as might be learned of old and many diverse gentle hunters, I did my business in this rude manner to put the craft and the terms and the exercise of this said game more in remembrance and openly to the knowledge of all lords, ladies, gentlemen and women, according to the customs and manners used in the high noble court of this Realm of England._

FINIS