But the hunters whose eyes was stedfastly bent vpon the beast.

They tried to trap the wolf by all means men could devise, but they could only fail until the Lord ordained his fall; even so, they went out daily with great mastiffs and dogs to chase him down and take him.

But one day, it so pleased God that they came across him in his wolfish guise, ready to meet him in the field. They beset and set their dogs upon him; he had no means of escape, and as the Lord delivered Goliath into the hands of David, so the dogs snapped at his heels, and seeing he had nothing now to lose, he slipped out of his girdle and immediately assumed his true form, staff in hand like one walking to town. However, the hunters had fixed their gaze upon him, and saw the transformation take place, and were amazed.

Had they not known him, they would have taken him to be some devil in the shape of a man; however, they recognised him as someone who had long dwelled in their town, and took him to his own home to confirm it was indeed Stubbe Peeter, and not an illusion or phantastical image.

So Stubbe Peeter was brought before the magistrates to be examined.

Notes.

'with great mastiffs and dogs'. Different breeds were raised to play different roles in the hunt, depending on the quarry. Here, the dogs pick up the scent and give chase, followed by the hunters with their mastiffs leashed; when the wolf is cornered, probably exhausted, the mastiffs are loosed for the kill.

'he slipped out of his girdle and immediately assumed his true form, staff in hand like one walking to town'. Having been chased down and cornered, he changes form before the mastiffs are set on him. I like how he is described as slipping from the girdle, wriggling free; he has no hands to unfasten it. Where the staff came from is anyone's guess; I imagine it being taken up from the leaf litter to protect himself from the pack.

'and took him to his own home'. Because if he was at home when they called, they'd have confirmed they had a different guy, or had been taken in by some trick or bewitchment. I also expect his neighbours would be able to confirm his identity, too.

'before the magistrates to be examined'. As we will see in the next instalment, this will not end well.

Comments

Robert Plot, first Keeper of the Ashmolean, on mysterious circles, from 'The Natural History of Staffordshire' (Oxford, 1686).

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Paul Summers Young

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