He seemed fair, 'tween black and berry brown.

 

The Report of a Huntsman upon the Sight of a Hart in pride of grease.

Before the Queen, I come report to make,
then hushed and peace, for noble Tristram's sake.
From out my horne, my fumets first I draw,
and them present, on leaves, by hunters' law;
and thus I say, My liege, behold and see
a Hart of Ten, I hope he harboured be.
For if you mark, his fumets every point
you shall them find, long, round and well annoint,
knotty and great, without pricks or ears,
the moistness shows what venison he bears. 

Then if my Prince demand what head he bear,
I answer thus, with sober words and cheer,
My liege, I went this morning on my quest,
my hound did stick and seemed to vent some beast.
I held him short, and drawing after him
I might behold the Hart was feeding trim.
His head was high, and large in each degree,
well-palmed eke, and seemed full sound to be.
Of colour brown, he bears eight and ten,
of stately height, and long he seemed to then.

His beam seemed great, in good proportion led,
well-burred and round, well-pearled near his head.
He seemed fair, 'tween black and berry brown,
he seems well-fed, by all the signs I found.
For when I had, well-marked him with eye,
I stept aside to watch where he would lie.
And when I so had waited full an hour,
that he might be at lair and in his bower,
I cast about to harbour him sure.
My hound - by scent - did me thereof assure.
Entering the thicket, these fumets did I spy,
which I took up, and laid my marks thereby.
In privy paths I walked, and - creeping through - 
I found the slot of other Harts enough.
Both young and old, I found of every size,
but as for him, I hope that still he lies:
so that your grace - by likelihood - may him find,
he harboured is, according to my mind.

Then is she ask what slot or view I found,
I say, The slot or view was long on ground, 
the toes were great, the joint-bones round and short,
the shin bones large, the dewclaws close in port:
short-jointed was he, hollow-footed eke, 
an Hart to hunt, as any man can seek.

Of the Words and Terms of Hunting, which the Huntsman ought to understand when he shall make his report, and when he shall speak before Good Masters of Venery.

I have thought good hear to declare the terms and words of venery, and how a young huntsman should speak before the masters of the game. 

First, it is convenient that a huntsman be well-stayed and temperate in his speech, for all hunters which have regard to the pleasure of their venery ought to be sober and modest in talk. But at these days, they take more delight in emptying of the bottles than they have regard to their tongues. But if a young huntsman chance to light in company with elder masters, and thet ask him how he calls the ordure of a Hart, Reindeer, Goat or Fallow Deer, he shall answer they are to be called the fumet or fumishings, and all beasts which live of browse, shall have the same term in that respect. But in beasts of ravine or prey as the Boar, the Bear and such like, they shall be called the lesses, and of Hares and Coneys, they are called croteys. Of other vermin or stinking chases as Foxes, Badgers and such like, they are called the feance; of the Otter, they are called the spraintes. 

Afterwards, if one ask him how he will term the feeding of a Hart or such like in terms of venery, he shall say it is called the feed of a Deer, as to say, Lo, here you may see where a Deer has taken his feed. Of Boars and such like, you shall say the feeding, as to say, Lo, here he has fed, etc. 

So is there great difference between the feet of preying beasts and the feet of a Deer. For in beasts of prey and ravine as Bear and Boar, they are called traces; but the footing or track of a Deer as Hart, Buck, Reindeer and Goat, they are called the view and the slot. Also, there is a difference between the fryth and the fell; the fells are understood the mountains, valleys and pastures with corn, the fryths betoken the springs and coppices. If a Deer feeds abroad out of the woods, you shall say he fed in the fells, otherwise in the fryths. 

The young hunter has also to consider the difference between these words, ways and trenches. By the first is meant the high and beaten ways outside of a wood or forest, and such also as lie through such woods being commonly beaten and travelled; by this word 'trench' is understood every small way not so commonly used. Therefore, if the huntsman says, the Hart is gone down the way, but when he has taken some other by-path or way into the wood or forest, then a huntsman will say he is gone down that trench, &c. 

So, is there also difference between a trench and a path; for trenches, as I say, by-ways and walks in a wood or forest, but paths are any place where a Deer has gone and left view or slot, either long before or fresh and new. 

As touching blemishes, they are the marks which are left to know where a Deer has gone in or out; they are little boughs plashed or broken, so they hang downward. Anything that is hung up is called a sewell, and those are used most commonly to amaze a Deer, and to make him refuse to pass where they are hanged up. 

When a huntsman goes to rouse a Deer, as to unharbour a Hart or so, he shall say to his hound when he casts him off, There boy! to him! to him! to him! But if it were a Boar or such like, he shall speak in the plural number and say, To them! to them!. 

When a Hart has fed in the fells, he is commonly wet with dew, and will not go to his lair until he be dried in the Sun or otherwise, and then commonly he lies down upon his belly in some open place, and rouses him when he rises. That place has with us no proper name, but only to say, here the Hart has lied and roused himself. The places a Hart or any other Deer lies by day are called lairs, but the lying places of Boars and such like are called dens, and a Fox, the kennel. 

Afterwards, when a huntsman comes to make his report, he shall say altogether what he has seen and found; and if he found nothing but view or slot, and be demanded what manner of view or slot it was, he shall by rehearsal tell and describe what manner of slot or view it was, as to say, a short or a long foot, with such and such marks. The like report shall he make of his ports and entries, but if his hap were to have seen the Hart or Deer, and had leisure to mark him, then if he be demanded what manner of Deer it was, and what head he bears, he may answer first he was of such and such a coat as fallow, brown, black or dun, and consequently of such and such a body bearing a high or low head, according as he has seen. 

If the Deer be false marked, as bearing six antlers or croches on the one side and seven on the other, then shall the huntsman say, he bears fourteen false marked, for the more always includes the less. If he perceive the Deer bear a fair high head big-beamed, the antlers near and close to his head and well-spred according to the height, then may he say, he bears a full head, well-spred and well-marked in all points, and palmed, crowned or croched, according as he saw it. Likewise, he may name how many it was in the top, as a Hart of Ten, Fourteen, Sixteen or so forth; and if any demand him if he judged by the head whether the Hart were an old Hart or not, and how he knows, he may answer he judges by the burr, which was great and well-pearled, set close to the head of the Deer, and also by the natlers which were great, long and near to the burr, and accordingly by the tokens heretofore rehearsed.

The claws which hang behind of a Deer or of a Goat and such like are called dew claws, as to say when you find the slot or view deep, so as the print of them may be seen, Behold, here he has left view of his dew claws. Of a Boar they are called the gardes. 

If a huntsman find view or slot whereby he judges not yet it is a great or an old Deer, he may say it is likely to be of a Hart of Ten or a Hart of the First Head. But if he find slot that seem of a great Deer, he may say, a Hart of Ten, without any addition of words. And if he judge him to be a very old Deer, he may then say, a Hart of Ten, and so he was long since. The greatest praise he can give a Deer shall be a great old Hart or Deer.

Of a Boar, when he forsakes the sounder and feeds alone, he shall be called a Sanglier going into the third year. The next year, he shall be called a Sanglier of three years old; the next year after, he is called a Sanglier chaseable. The greatest praise can be given him is to say a great Boar not to be refused.

Of fallow beasts, the company is called a herd, and of black beasts it is called a rout or a sounder. 

A Hart bellows, a Buck groans, and a Roebuck bells when they go to rut. A Hart goes to the steep at noon in the heat of the day, to keep him from the fly. A Hart breaks where he leaves slot or view, when he leaps into the water and comes out again the smae way, then he proffers; if he pass through the water, he takes soil, and where he comes out, you shall say he breaks water. After that, you may call him a Hart defoulant the water.

A Hart or a Buck is flayed, a Hare stripped, and a Fox or such like vermin are raised. A Hart and a Buck, likewise, reared, roused and unharboured. A Hart started, and a Fox unkennelled.