Paul Summers Young

  Chapter 17. Of the Rut and Vault of Harts. Harts commonly begin to vault about the middest of September, and their rut continues about two months; the older they be, the hotter they are, and the better beloved of the Hinds.  The older Harts go sooner to vault than the young, and they are so fierce and so proud that until they have accomplished their lust, the young Harts dare not come near them; for if they do, they beat them and drive them away. The young Deer have a marvellous craft and malice; for when they perceive the old Harts are weary of the rut and weakened in force, they run upon them and either hurt or kill them, causing them to abandon the rut, and remain masters in their place. Harts much sooner kill each other when there is scarcity of Hinds; for if there be Hinds plenty, they separate themselves one from another, and hide themselves in one place or other. It is a pleasue to behold them when they go to rut and make their vault; for when they smell the Hind, the...

  Chapter 16. Of the Nature and Subtleties of Harts. Isidore says the Hart is right contrary to the Serpent, and that when he is old, decrepit and sick, he goes to the dens and caves of Serpents, and with his nostrils he puffs, and forces his breath into their holes, in such sort by virtue and force thereof he constrains the Serpents to come forth; and being come forth, he kills them with his foot, and afterwards eats and devours them. He goes to drink, and so the venom spreads though all the veins of his body, and when he feels the venom work, he runs to chafe and heat himself; immediately, he begins to void and purge himself, in such sort that nothing remains in his belly, coming forth by all the conduities and pores nature has made in him. And by this means, he renews his force and heals himself, casting his hair.  When Harts pass the great rivers, or some arm of the sea, to go to rut in some isle or forest, they assemble themselves in great herds; and knowing which of them...

  Tractatus iii. Wie sie zu uns komen, und uns sichthar werden. Alles das, so got beschaffen hat, das leßt er dem menschen offenbar werden und für komen, also das dem menschen kuntbar sind und werden alle geschicht der geschöpfen. dan also hat got den teufel dem menschen offenbar gemacht, auf das der mensch des teufels eub wissen hab, also auch die geist und anders, das noch unmöglicher ist dem menschen zu erkennen, fürstellt. also auch die engel im himel herab zu dem menschen geschicht hat, die im dienen. und solch offenbarung geschehen, aber selten. alein so vil not ist des selbingen, zu glauben und doruf zu halten. also auch geschicht mit den dingen, von denen ich hie schreib ; die selbigen erscheinen auch. nit das sie drumb bei uns wonen sollen all oder bleiben oder verbunden, sonder sovil leßt sie got zu uns wandern und bei uns sein, so vil not ist, das wir ein wissen von inen nemen, das got wunderbarliche werf wirfe. als so er ein engel zu uns schicht, so erfaren wir, das die...

  The Preface pronounced by the Hart. I am the Hart, by Greeks surnamed so, Because my head doth with their terms agree, For stately shape few such on earth do go, So that by right they have so termed me. For kings' delight, it seems I was ordained, Whose huntsmen yet pursue me, day by day, In forest, chase and park I am constrained Before their hounds, to wander many a way. Wherefore who list to learn the perfect trade Of venery, and there withal would know What properties and virtues nature made In one (poor Hart, oh harmless Hart) to grow, Let him give ear to skillful Trystram's lore, To Phoebus, Fowylloux and many more. Chapter 15. Of the Virtue and Properties of the Hart. There is a bone found in the heart of a Hart, the which is very medicinable against the trembling of the heart, and especially for women great with child. Again, take the pissle of a Hart, and temper it in vinegar the space of four-and-twenty hours, and afterwards dry it, then beat it into powder. Drink t...

  Chapter 14. How a man should enter his young hounds to hunt the Hart, and of the quarries and rewards he shall give them.  When the hunter has taught his hounds to know and believe the halloo , and the sound of his horn, then the gallopers, prickers and huntsmen on horseback seeing their hounds strong enough and about seventeen and eighteen months old, shall begin to enter and to teach them; and they shall have them a-field but once a week at the most, for fear lest they mar them, for hounds are never sufficiently knit in their joints and members until they be two years old at the least. Above all things, whosoever would hunt the Hart at force must understand three secrets.  The first is he never accustom his hounds to run a Hind, nor give them any quarry or reward thereof; because there is difference between the scent of a Hart and a Hind, as you may see by experience that hounds do oftentimes single one from the other. And yet hounds are of such a nature that the firs...

  Tractatus II. Von irer wohnung. Ir wohnung sind viererlei, das ist, nach den vier elementen, eine im wasser, eine im luft, ein in der erden, eini im feur. die im wasser sind nymphen, die im luft sind sylphen, die in der erden sind pygmaei, die im feur salamandrae. nun aber das sie recht namen haben, das ist nicht sondern solch namen, so ich doch fürhalt; die selbigen namen sind geben worden von denen die sie nicht erkent haben. dieweil sie aber die ding bedeuten und durch die namen mögen verstanden werden, so laß ichs dobei auch bleiben. wiewol von wasserleuten undina der nam auch ist und von den luftleuten sylvestres und von den bergleuten gnomi und vom feuer mer vulcani als salamandri; iedoch wie dem ist, wie es mag verstanden werden mit der underscheit, do bleibts bei. nun aber so wissen, so ir regiones beschriben sollen werden, so müssen sie auch deteilt werden in ir teil; dan die wasserleut haben kein gescheft mit den bergleuten, die bergleut auch nicht mit inen und also die...

  Chapter 13 Of the Hunter, and how he ought to dress, govern and attend his dogs. A good Keeper of Hounds should be gracious, courteous and gentle, loving his dogs of a natural disposition. And he ought to be both well-footed and well-winded, as well to fill his horn as his bottle. The first thing he ought to do when he rises is to go see his hounds, to make their lodging clean, and to dress them as the case shall require. After he has so cleansed them, he ought to take his horn and sound three or four times the call, to the end he may comfort them and call them to him; and when he shall see them all about him, then shall he couple them, and in coupling them he must take good heed that he couple not the dogs together for fear lest they fight one with another. And if there be any young hounds, it shall be good to couple them with the old bitches, to teach them to follow.  When they are all well coupled, the keeper must fill two great bags or pockets with small bones, and other...

  Caput secundum. Spiritus quid et anima; item spiritus horum caro est et caro spiritus; exemplum resurrectionis. Das fleisch muß also verstanden werden, das sein zweierlei ist, das fleisch aus Adam und das so nit aus Adam. das fleisch aus Adam ist ein grob fleisch, dan es ist irdisch und ist sonst nichts als alein ein fleisch, das zu binden und zu fassen ist wie ein holz oder stein. das ander fleisch, das nit ist aus Adam, das ist ein subtil fleisch, und ist nit zu binden noch zu fassen, dan es ist nit aus der erden gemacht, nun ist das fleisch aus Adam der mensch aus Adam, der ist grob wie die erden, die selbig ist compact, also das der mensch nit mag durch ein mauren, noch durch ein want, er muß in ein loch machen, dordurch er schlief, dan im weichet nichts aber das fleisch, so nit aus Adam ist dem weichet das gemeur, das ist die selbigen fleisch dörfen keiner türen, keines lochs, sonder gent durch ganz mauren und went und zerbrechen nichts, nun sind sie beide fleisch, blut, bei...

  Chapter 12. How a Kennel ought to be situate and trimmed for Hounds. A kennel ought to be placed in some oriental part of a house, where there may be a large court, well-plained, being 80. paces square, according to the commodity and ability of the lord who owns it, but the greater and larger it is, the better  it will be for the hounds, because they shall have the greater pleasure to play and scamper through the midst of it.  Were meet and good to have a little channel of good fountain water, near unto the which you shall lay a great trough of stone to receive the course of the said water, the which trough shall be a foot and a half high, to the end the hounds may drink there at the more easily, and that trough must be peirced at the one end to let out the water and to make it clean when you would.  In the highest place of the court, it shall be good to build the kennel or lodging for the hounds, in the which you must have two chambers, whereof the one shall be la...