Instead of pistols, they shall have each of them a bottle full of good wine at the pommels of their saddles.

 

How to Set Relays.

Relays must be set according to the seasons and growth of springs. In winter, when the Hart's head is hard, they keep the strong coverts and thickets; in springtime, when their heads are tender, they keep in young fryths and coppices, and in the weakest coverts they can find, for fear lest they should knock and hurt their heads against the boughs.

Therefore, it is requisite to set men abroad who are brought up in hunting, and understand well their advantages, and with them a good pricker or huntsman on horseback, mounted upon a good curtal, who should be lightly clad, having good boots and high with a horn about his neck. Phoebus says they ought to be clad in green when they hunt the Hart or Buck, and in russet when they hunt the Boar, but that is of no great importance, for I remit the colours to the fantasies of men. 

These horsemen should go overnight to their master's chamber, or if they serve a prince, to the master's of the game or his lieutenant's, to know which of them shall follow the kennel, and which shall be for the relays, and in which relays and where they shall bestow themselves, and what hounds they shall lead with them, what helps and varlets shall go with them. Those of the relays shall do well to have every man a little billet, to remember the names of their relays; then, let them to their lodging, and get them a guide who may conduct them in the morning. 

Afterwards, they must look that their horses be well-shod and in good plight, giving them oats sufficient; that done, they shall go to bed, that they may rise in the morning two hours before day. If it be in summer, they must water their horses, but not in winter; then, they shall bait them well until the varlets shall bring the hounds for their relays. Their guide being come, they shall break their fasts altogether, and instead of pistols, they shall have each of them a bottle full of good wine at the pommel of their saddles. 

And when day shall begin to peep, then must they get on horseback, having with them their guide, their relays, and all their equipage. If they would send a curtal to another of the relays, then shall they say to one of their varlets that he go with one of their companions to such a relay. When they are come to the place appointed for their relay, they shall place their hounds in some fair place at the foot of some tree, forbidding the varlet that he uncouple them not without their knowledge and commandment, and that he stir not from thence, nor make any noise. 

Then, they shall go three or four hundred is ordained, and shall harken if they hear anything, or can discover the Hart, for seeing him afar off; they shall better judge whether he be spent or not, if they mark him when he is hallowed or cried at. For a Hart, when he is spent, bears his head low if he see no man, showing thereby how weary he is; but when he sees a man, he raises up his head and makes great bounds, as though he would have men think that he is strong and stout. Also, the horseman shall withdraw himself aside for another reason; that is because the pages and they who hold the horses commonly make such a noise that he canno hear the cry; and when the Hart hears noise, or has the dogs in the wind, they will either turn back again, or wheel aside from the relay, for which cause the horseman shall hold himself aside to choose and mark the Hart at leisure. If he pass by his relay, he shall mark diligently whether he sik or be spent, and also whether he hear the hounds in chase coming after him or not.

Methinks in hunting a Hart at force, it were not best to cast off your relays until you see the hounds of the kennel which began the cry; so, should you see who hunts best, and the swiftness of your hounds. But nowadays, I see few hunt the Hart as he ought to be hunted, for men give not their hounds leisure to hunt, neither is there passing two or three can hunt; for there are so many hunters on horseback who can neither blow, halloo, nor prick perfectly, who mingle themselves among the hounds, crossing them and breaking their course in such sort it is not possible they should hunt truly, and therefore I say it is the horses which hunt, and not the hounds. 

I will now therefore teach the varlet how to foreslow the relay when the Hart is past by. First, he must lead his hounds coupled or tied unto the track, and let them follow so three or four paces right; then, let him cast off one, and if he take it right, then may he uncouple the rest and blow to them. For if he should cast off his relay afar off, the hounds might hunt counter, which would be a great fault. Also, if the Hart be accompanied with any other Deer, then the pricker on horseback must ride full in the face of him, to try if he can part them or not; and if he can part them, then may he uncouple the hounds upon the view. If a pricker on horseback chance to be at relay on the side of a pool or water, and see the Hart make towards it, he should suffer him to go to soil therein his filll, and never blow nor make noise. When he comes out, he may let the varlet go with the hounds unto the place where he came out and uncouple the hounds upon the view as before said. He must never abandon them, blowing after them to call in aid, and bruising the ground or making marks all the way as he goes, because if the hounds should hunt change, or scatter and stray from the right ways; then may they return to the last mark, and so seek again the first chase.

Phoebus says you must rate the hounds which come far behind when the Hart is past the relay; but for my part, I am of a contrary mind, for as much as the hounds of the cry which have already hunted long time better keep their true track, and do not so soon change as the fresh hounds which are newly cast off at the relays. True it is that if there be any old hounds which come behind plodding after the cry, the prickers on horseback or the varlets which tarry behind may call them after them, and lead them before the cry again; or else, if you have need of more relays, and you perceive the Hart bends towards a coast where there is not much change, and he should be forced to turn back again the same way. There be good hounds enough before to maintain the chase, then may you take up the hindermost hounds and keep them fresh for his return.

If, peradventure, it happen the pricker on horseback, being at his relay, should see a Hart of Ten pass by him, and yet hear not the other huntsmen, nor their horns, let him look well whether the Hart be embossed or not, and what hounds they were that came with him. If he perceive they were choice hounds, and such as will not hunt change, then ought he to blow as loud as he can for other hounds, and to call in help. If one come in, let him follow the hounds which maintained the chase and uncouple his hounds of relay, blowing and hallowing all the way as he goes, and blemishing against or over the slot or view of the Deer.

A huntsman on horseback should be circumspect in these things, for sometimes some fresh Deer may rouse before the hounds upon a sudden, by reason of the noise of the hounds and huntsmen, the which may be a great hurt. Peradventure, shall seem to be embossed also, especially when Deer are in pride of grease; but if he perceive they sure hounds of the kennel hunt it not, and he hear not them come after in full cry; then ought he not to cast of his relays, but only to mark which way he flees, and to blemish at the last thicket where he saw him enter, or at the last place where he had him in view, to the end if he hear the hounds at default. He may go and tell them the Hart which passed by his relay was fallow, brown, or according as he saw him, and he bare such and such a head. Thereby, they may judge and guess whether it were the cast Deer or not, and may go to seek him again, beginning then at the blemishes which he made upon his last view. 

How a Huntsman should rouse a Hart, and cast off his Hounds to him. 

When the prince or lord who hunts shall have heard all reports, and the relays are well set and placed, and the huntsmen and hounds have broken their fast or refreshed themselves, then he who seemed to have harboured the greatest and oldest Deer, and him who lieth in the fairest covert, upon whose report the prince or lord would go to hunt, shall take his Bloodhound and go before to the blemishings with his companions, and with all prickers or hunters on horseback who hunt with the kennel, who should have everyone of them a good cudgel in his hand, which is called a hunting cudgel or a truncheon, to turn the boughs and bear them from his face as he follows the hounds in the woods or thickets. This cudgels should not be beached or peeled until such season as the Hart have frayed his head, but when the Hart has frayed, then may a huntsman bear a cudgel beached or peeled lawfully. 

Being come to the blemishes, let them alight to behold the slot and such other marks as may be taken by the view or foot of a Deer, to the end they may the better know whether their hounds hunt change or not. When the prince or master of the game is come, and the hounds for the cry, all the horsemen must quickly casr abroad about the covert to discover the Harr. When he rouses and goes out of his hold, yet they may the better know him afterwards by the coat, and by his head. When the huntsman who harboured him, shall see all the rest of his companions about him with the hounds for the cry, he shall then go before them and rouse the Deer, for the honour is due to him, and then the rest shall cast of their hounds, he and all they crying, To him! to him! that's he! that's he! and such other wirds of encouragement. 

Here I will teach you two secrets.

The one is that the huntsman should not be to hasty with their hounds at the first rousing or unharbouring of the Deer, for as much as their heat may perchance make them overshoot and hunt amiss. The other is that the hounds of the cry should always come behind the huntsman who has harboured, and behind his hound by three-score paces at the least, until he hace unharboured, for fear lest the Hart have crossed and doubled with the thicket, and they might foil or break the slot, so the Bloodhound should not be able to draw and hunt so truly as else he would; for oftentimes old beaten Deer, when they go to lair, do use all policies and subtleties in crossing, doubling and such like. 

Therefore, if the hounds of the cry come over near after the Bloodhound, they shall break the slot and view, so he which harboured shall scarce make his hound to hunt it; and if the Bloodhound as he draws do chance to overshoot and draw wrong or counter, them must the huntsman draw him back and say, Back! back! soft! soft! until he have set him right again. If he perceive the hound do amend his fault and hunt right again, let him kneel down upn one knee to mark the slot or the portes well and advisably, and if he perceive his hound draw right, let him clap him on the side and cherish him, saying, That's my boy! that's he! that's he! to him, knave! and let him blemish there as well for them that come with the kennel that the Hart passed there, and if the kennel be too far from him, he should cry, Come near! come near! with the hounds! or else let him blow two motes, leaving blemishes both aloft and by low, all the way as he goes if his hound overshoot or draw amiss, he may yet come back to his last blemish.

Then if he perceive yet his hound renew his drawing, and he draw sriff so it seems he be near the Hart, he must hild him then shorter and shorter, lest the Hart should rouse for fear afar of his hound - hunting upon the wind - might carry him amiss, so he should not find the lair. Whereby - and by the foyles about it - he might have certain judgement, if he rouse or unharbour the Deer and find the lair, let him not blow over hastily for the hounds, but only cry, Look ware! look ware! ware! ware! let him draw on with his hound until the Deer be descried and rightly marked before before he halloo. 

If he find any fumets as he draws, let him mark well whether they be like to those which he found before or not, I mean those which he might so be descried, but is not often, but only when the Deer has changed his feed. True it is, yet the fumishing a Deer makes overnight be not like those he makes in the morning, when he draws into the thicket to go to his lair; for those he makes at his feed in the night or evening be flatter, softer and better digested than those he makes in a morning. The reason is because he has slept and rested all day, which makes perfect digestion, and contrarily those he makes in the running are neither so well digested nor so soft. For as much as all the night a Deer goes and travels to seek his feed, and has neither had rest nor leisure to digest his feed so well, and yet they will be like of form and proportion, unless the change of feeding be the cause of it. Or if the huntsman find the lair of the Deer, he shall lay his cheek or his back of his hand upon it, to feel it it be warm or not; or he may know by his hound, for he will strain and lapse, or whimper, or sometime call on plainly. 

All these tokens give a huntsman to understand the Hart is roused and on foot. Some Harts be so subtle and crafty, that when they rouse and go from their lair, they coast round about to seek some other Deer, whereby the hounds which follow them might find change to hunt; or else, perchance, they have some young brocket with them in company always, whereby the huntsman may be beguiled, and therefore he shall not blow to cast off more hounds when he rouses him, but only cry, Ware! ware! ware! come near! with the hounds, and let him draw after him still that way he went fifty or three-score paces; and when he shall perceive the Hart prepares to flee, if he seem to be sure thereof, let him blow for the hounds, and cry to them, That's it! that's it! to him! to him! and let him draw still upon the slot or view, blowing and hallooing until the hounds be come in and begin to take it right, and therewithal he must go among them with his hound in the lyam to encourage them, and to make them take it the more hotly. 

Afterwards, when he sees they are in full cry and take it right, he may go out of the thicket, and give up on horseback, keeping still under the wind, and coasting to cross the hounds which are in chase, to help them ar default if need require. But if it should happen the Hart turning counter upon the hounds in the thicket, and give his hound to his boy or servant, and get up on horseback, keeping still under the wind, and coasting to cross the hounds which are in chase, to help them at default if need require. But if it should happen the Hart turning counter upon the hounds in the thicket, had come among change, then let all the huntsmen menace and rate their hounds, and couple them up again until they have gone back either to the lair, or to last blemish made upon any slot or view, and so hunt on again until any slot or view, and so hunt on again until they may find the Hart, and so hunt on again until they may find the Hart. For some beaten Deer will fall flat upon his belly, and never move until the hounds be even upon him.