When every Forest rang with Hounds and Horns, and when plenty of Flagon Bottles were carried.

 

Certain Observations and Subtlties to be used by Huntsmen in hunting a Hart at force.

Now I have treated of such judgements and marks as the Huntsman may take of a Hart, and how they should behave themselves in harbouring of a Deer, I think meet likewise to instruct - according to my simple skill - the Huntsmen on horseback how to chase and hunt a Hart at force, as well by authority of good and ancient Hunters, as also by experience of my own hunting. Because these days there are many men who bear horns and bugles, and yet cannot tell how to use them, neither how to encourage and help their hounds therewith, but rather hinder than further them, having neither skill nor delight to use true measure in blowing. 

And therewithal saying princes and noblemen take no delight in hunting, having their eyes muffled with the scarf of worldly wealth, and thinking thereby to make their names immortal, which indeed often leads them to destruction both of body and soul, and oftener is cause of the shortening of their life - which is their principal treasure here on earth - since a man shall hardly see any of them reign or live so long as they did in those days when every forest rang with hounds and horns, and when plenty of flagon bottles were carried in every quarter to refresh them temperately. Therefore, I should think it labour lost to set down these things in any perfect order, were it not I have good hope to see the nobility and youth of England exercise themselves as well in that as in sundry other noble pastimes of recreation, according to the steps of their honorable ancestors and progenitors. 

Therefore, I adventure this travail to set down, in articles and particularities, the secrets and precepts of Venery, as you see.

First then, the Prickers and Huntsmen on horseback must understand there is diversity between the terms and words they shall use to Buckhounds, and the terms and words they shall use in hunting of the Boar. For a Hart flies and eloigns himself when he is sore hunted, trusting to nothing else but his heels, nor never stands in his defence unless he be forced; therefore, you shall comfort such hounds with loud and courageous cries and noises, as well your voice as your horn. But when you hunt a Wild Boar, or any such beast, you shall do the contrary, because they are beasts which are slower, and cannot flee or eloign themselves from the hounds, but trust in their tusks and defence; therefore in such chases, you shall comfort your hounds with furious, terrible sounds and noise, as well the voice as your horn, to the end you may make the chase flee endways. You should always be near at hand, and hold in with your hounds, and make great noise lest the Boar should hurt or kill them.

As touching the Hart, and such other light chases or beasts of Venery, the Huntsmen on horseback may follow their hounds always by the same ways they saw them pass over, and never shall need to cross nor coast so much, for fear lest they should rouse some change, and likewise because in hunting so, they shall always be best able to help at defaults. Let them never come nearer the hounds in cry than fifty or three score paces, especially at the first uncoupling or at casting of their relays; for if a Hart do make doublings, or wheel about or cross before your hounds, if then you come in too hastily, you shall foil and mar the slot or view, in such sort as the hounds should not be able to scent it so well, but should overshoot the chase, and that would mar the sport. 

But if the Prickers and Huntsmen on horseback perceive a Hart - being run an hour or more - make out endways before the hounds in chase, and therewithall perceive the hounds follow in full cry, taking it right; then, they may come in nearer towards the hounds and blow a rechat to their hounds to comfort them. You shall understand herewith when a Hart feels the hounds hold in after him, he flees and seeks to beguile them with change in sundry sorts, for he will seek other Harts and Deer at lair, and rouses them before the hounds to make them hunt change; therewithal, he will lie flat down upon his belly in some of their lairs, and so let the hounds overshoot him, and because they should have no scent of him, nor vent of him, he will truss all his iiij feet under his belly, and will blow and breathe upon the ground in some moist place. In such sort I have seen the hounds pass by such a Hart, within a yard of him, and never vent him. 

This nature endows him with, that he knows his breath and his feet to give greater scent unto the hounds than all the rest of his body; and therefore, at such a time he will abide the horsemen to ride full upon him before he will be reared, and this is one especial reason wherefore the Horsemen and Huntsmen should blemish at such places as they see the Hart enter into a thicket or covert, to the end if the hounds fall to change, they may return to those blemishes and put their hounds to the right slot and view until they have roused or found him again with their Bloodhound, or with some other staunch old hound of the kennel in the which they may affy themselves. For old staunch hounds which will not hunt change, when they see a Hart roused and before them, they never call on nor once open; but if they be young rash hounds, they will run with full cry, and so take change. Wherefore in such respects, the Huntsmen on horseback must have great consideration, and let them never affy themselves in young hounds, unless they see some old staunch hounds among them, and if there be two Prickers or Huntsmen on horseback together, one shall run to the hounds and rate them, the other shall halloo and call them into the place where they made the defualt, and there let them beat well with their hounds, comforting them until they may find the Hart again.

If he hear any old sure hound bay or open, let him make to him and look on the slot whether he hunt right or not, and if he find it be right, let him blow his horn and afterwards halloo to that hound, naming him, as to say, Hyke a Talbot! or Hyke a Beaumont! hyke, hyke to him! to him! The other Huntsmen shall beat their hounds to him, and by that means they shall renew the chase and find him again.

I gain a Hart brings the hounds to change in another manner. As soon as he perceives the hounds run hum, and he cannot eshew them, he will break into one thicket after another to find other Deer and rouse them, and herds himself with them, so he holds herd sometimes an hour or more before he will part from them or break herd; if he feel himself spent, he will break herd and fall a-doubling and crossing in some hard high way that is much beaten, or else in some river or brook, the which he will keep as long as his breath will suffer him, and when he perceives he is far before the hounds, he will use like subtlties as before to beguile them, lying flat upon his belly in some hard way or dry place, and crossing all his four feet underneath him, breathing and blowing against the ground as before said, or against the water if he has taken the soil in such sort that of all his body you shall see nothing but his nose. I have seen divers lie so, until the hounds have been upon them before they would rise. In these cases, the Huntsmen must have especial regard to their old sure hounds, when they perceive a Deer or seek the herd so, for the old sure hounds will hunt leisurely and fearfully when the rash young hounds will overshoot it. Therefore, never regard the young hounds, but the old staunch hounds, and trust the old hounds giving them leisure, and being near them to help and comfort them, evermore blemishing as you perceive and find any slot or view of the Deer that is hunted. 

If so chance the hounds be at default, or they dissever and hunt in two or three sundry companies, then may they guess thereby that the Hart has broken herd from the fresh Deer, and the said fresh Deer separate themselves also. They must not trust to a young hound - as before said - how good so ever he make it, but they must regard which way the old staunch houndss make it, and make to them, looking upon the slot, view or soil. When they have found the right, and perceive the Hart has broken herd from the other Deer, let them blemish there, and blow, and cry, There he goes! that's he! that's he! to him, to him!, naming the hound that goes away with the vautchase, hallooing the rest to him. 

You shall also have regard that hounds cannot so well make it good in the hard highways as in other places, because they cannot there have so perfect scent, and that for divers causes. For in those highways there are the track and footing of divers sundry sorts of cattle which beat them continually, and break the ground to dust with their feet in such sort that when the hounds put their noses to the ground to scent, the powder and dust snuffs up into their noses, and mars their scent. Again, the vehement heat of the Sun dries up the moisture of the earth, so the dust covers the slot or view of the Deer as he runs, and that is the scent whereby the hounds hunt principally, whereas upon the green ground the Hart leaves scent upon the grass or boughs where he passes or touches with his body.

Many other reasons there are to prove that in the highways a hound cannot have so good scent as in other places, the which I pass over for brevity. In such place, a Hart will subtly make crosses and doublings, or hold the same long together to make the hounds give it over; such is the benefit of nature, to give the dumb beast understanding which way to help himself, as it gives also understanding to all living creatures to eschew and avoid their contrary and their adversary, and to save itself by all means possible. When the Huntsmen shall find their hounds at default upon such a highway, let them look narrowly whether the Hart have doubled or crossed; and if they find he has to run right endways, and come back again counter upon the same, let them cry to their hounds to encourage them, To him boys! counter! to him, to him! And let them tread out the counter-slots in sight of the hounds, helping and comforting them always, until they have brought them where he entered into some thicket or covert, and there let them stay their hounds until they make it good upon the sides of the highways or thickets, and not within the coverts; for when they are once entered into the coverts, they shall have much better scent, and shall not so soon overshoot it, as they should have done in the highways, for there the grass and the leaves, and such other things, keep the scent fresher, and also the ground being moister, a Hart cannot so touch it with his feet or body, but he shall leave scent for the hounds; let the Huntsmen make blemishes all the way as they pass, and beat the places well with their hounds, comforting and helping them the best they can; and if any one hound call on alone, the Huntsmen must make to him, and look by the slot or other tokens what it should be he hunts. If they find he chaffed the Deer, they shall rechat for the rest of the hounds, and name that hound to them, as to say, Talbot! a Talbot! a Talbot! as beforesaid. 

It happens oftentimes also that a Hart passes by some colehearth, or place where things have been buried, and then the hounds cannot have so good scent, because the hot scent of the fire smothers the hounds, and makes them forget the scent of the Hart. In such case, the Huntsmen may mark which way the Hart held head, and coast by the colehearth with their hounds quickly, until they come on the farside thereof; there, let them beat well until their hounds make it good again by the slot or other tokens, or by the scent they must needs find in the fresh air passing thus by and staying not. But if a Hart break out before the hounds into the champagne country, and it be in the heat of the day between noon and three of the clock, if the Huntsmen perceive their hounds be out of breath, they must not force them much, but comfort them the best that they can, and though they hear not their best hounds call upon the slot or view; yet if they wag their tails, it is enough, for peradventure the hounds are so spent with the vehement heat, it is painful to them to call, or they be out of breath, and therefore in such case the Huntsmen shall do well to follow afar off without overlaying or overriding of them, as I have beforesaid.

If the hounds give over and be tired, let the Huntsmen blemish upon the last slot or view, and go with their hounds into the next village, where they shall give them bread and water, and keep them about under some tree or shade until the heat of the day be over, and let them sometimes blow to call in their boys or servants who follow on foot, and their other companions, about three of the clock, may go back to their last blemish, and put their hounds to the slot or view. And if any of their varlets or boys has a Bloodhound there, let him put his Bloodhound to the slot or view, and draw before the hounds with him, cherishing and comforting him, and never fearing to make him open in the string; for the other hounds, hearing him open, will come in and take it right, leaving their defaults. 

Thus should the Huntsmen hold on beating and following until they have reared and found the Hart again. You shall understand when a Hart is spent and sore run, his last refuge is to the water, which Hunters call the soil, and he will commonly therefore rather descend down the stream than against it, especially if the hounds run him well. It seems he has naturally this understanding, that he knows he should not swim against the stream when he goes to the soil, the hounds would have greater scent of him than when he descends down the stream, for the wind would always bear the scent upon them, and also it were more painful and greater travail to himself to swim against the stream than to swim down the stream. 

Understand that if a Hart be sore run and come to a river or water, he will commonly take it and swim in the very midst thereof, for he will take as good heed as he can to touch no boughs or twigs that grow upon the sides of the river, for fear lest the hounds should thereby take scent of him. He will swim along the river long time before he come out, unless he light upon some block, or other such thing which stop him in the stream, and he is forced to come out. In such places, the Huntsmen must have good regard to blemish at the place where he first took soil, and let them mark there well which way he makes head, the which they may perceive either by their hounds or by marking which way he fled when he came thither. Let them amke their hounds take the water and swim therein, for they may find scent upon the bullrushes or weeds which grow in the river. Or otherwise, the Huntsmen themselves may seek to find where the Hart has forsaken the soil - which Huntsmen call breaking of the water - and there they shall find by the grass or herbs which he  has borne down before him, which way he makes head. When they find assuredly which way he makes head, then let them call their hounds out of the water for fear lest they founder them with too much cold after their heat. 

If there be three Huntsmen of them together, let two of them get one on one side of the river, and another on the other side, and let the third get him before the way that the Hart has made head, to see if he can espy him swimming or lying in the water; the two huntsmen who shall be on each side of the river shall beat with their hounds each of them upon his side, and far enough from the banks. They shall have better scent xx or xxx paces off than they should have at the very side or bank of the river, and the reason is when the Hart comes out of the water, he is all wet and moyled with water which pours down his legs in such abundance, it drowns the slot or view. Commonly, he rouses and shakes the water off him at his coming out thereof, so by the time he has gone xx or xxx paces, the slot is better and the hounds shall scent him much better. Nevertheless, the Huntsmen themselves should keep always near to the river, for sometimes the Hart will lie under the water, all but his very nose, as I have before rehearsed, or may perchance lie in some bed of bullrushes, or in some tuft of sallows, so they might leave him behind them, and then as soon as they were past, he might go counter back again the same way he came. 

Commonly a Hart has crafty policy to suffer the hounds to overshoot him, and the Huntsmen to pass by him. As soon as they be past, he will steal back and go counter right backwards in the same track or path he came. This happens not often, unless the river be full of sallows or such bushes, and near to some forest. Let someone of the Huntsmen have always an eye to the river, and let the rest beat with their hounds xx paces from the banks, and so let them keep on altogether until they find where he break water, and if they find any block or beam, or such thing that lies cross overthwart the stream, let them look there whether he have broken water or not, for unless it be at such a place, or at such a let, a Hart will keep the water long, especially when he breaks from the hounds over a champagne country, for at such times they will hold the water as long as they can, and alsso at such times they no longer neither in their thickets, nor in their swiftness, but ate constrained to seek the soil as their last refuge.

Here I think it not amiss to advertise you that a Hart dreads the northern winds and the southern winds much more than he does the easterly or westerly winds, in such sort that if at his breaking out of a covert, when he seeks to break from the hounds endways over the champagne he feel either a north wind or a south wind blow, he will never run into it, but turn his back and take it in his tail, and this he does for divers respects; the first is because the north wind is cold and sharp, and dries exceedingly, and the south wind is hot and corrupt, because it comes under the circle of the Sun, the which overcomes him and sets him up quickly by the vehement sweltry heat thereof. If he should run into any of those two winds, it would quickly enter his throat when he is embossed and begins to be spent, and would dry his throat and his tongue sore, and would alter and chafe him much with the vehement heat thereof; also, those winds are commonly great and tempestrous, and if he should run against them, his head and horns would be as a sail to hold him back, the which might much let him in his running. Again, he knows if he run into the wind, the hounds shall have the better scent of him, and need not so much to lay their noses to the ground, but may hunt upon the wind; also, he himself covets always both to see and hear the hounds which follow him.

Although Phoebus says all Harts commonly run down the wind howsoever it sit, yet have I found it otherwise by exprience, and especially when it blows from the seawards, which is a moist wind, and then a Hart will covet to run against the wind. Doubtless a Hart fears the northerly wind and the south wind, as I have said before, and so do all other beasts as Spaniels or hounds, the which will not hunt so well in those winds, as they do at other times. 

Also you shall understand that a Hart foreloynes and breaks out before the hounds for divers reasons, especially in April or May, when his head is bloody and soft, for then if he be hunted, he dares not hold in the thickets or covets for hurting of his head to come forth from the strongholds; he braks over the champagne country, and seeks to foreloin or to break from the hounds, and then he doubles, crosses, etc. Or it may be a Hart foresakes the covert for another reason, because in the thickets he travels more, and beats himself sorer in bearing down the boughs before him, and cannot make way so well before the hounds, for they being much lesser than he, run with greater ease in the hollow of the woods below, and in like manner he cannot cross not double so well in the covert as he may do in the plain champagne. 

For these causes, he is constrained - as it were - to go out either into the hollow woods, or into the champagne; there, let the Huntsmen have good regard, for a hound may much sooner be at default in the hollow woods than in the strong coverts, having more scope to cast about and to range further out when they are hot and mad-brained, and so they may overshoot the slot, and overslay them, or overeyed them and hunt change, the which they cannot so lightly do in the strong coverts, for there they run directly upon the foot of the Deer, and cannot cast out neither one way nor other so readily, for they fear evermore to lose the right track where the Hart went. 

Therefore, a Huntsman shall take greater heed to change in the hollow high woods than in younger springs, for a hound will sooner overshoot and hunt out in the hollows than in the strongholds. Also, in hollow high woods a Hart foreloins more and breaks further from the hounds, and has more leisure to cross and double, and to seek the change amongst other Deer that he has in stronger coverts; also, a Hart foreloins or breaks out from the hounds for another cause, that is when he feels himself sore laid to by the hounds, and sees that no subtlety helps him. Then, becomes he amazed, and loses his courage, and knows not which way to take, but passes at all adventure over the fields, and through the villages and such other places; then should the Huntsmen draw near to their hounds, and if they perceive them at any default, they shall never go back to any slot or view, but go on still and hunt forwards, for a Deer that is spent or sore hunted, and that seeks to foreloin or break from the hounds, will never tarry to cross or double, but holds head onwards still as long as breath serves him, unless he have some soil in the wind. Then he may chance go aside to take the soil, but else not.

True it is, if he break out into the champagne for any cause before mentioned, and be not sore spent nor begin to sink before the hounds; he may chance to double, cross and use other subtleties, but if he be spent, he will seldom use any subtlety, but only to lie flat upon his belly awhile, and that not long neither. Furthermore, you shall now understand there is great difference in finding out the subtleties of a Deer in the forests or strongholds, and those which he uses in the plain champagne; for in the strong coverts, you must cast about near to the last slot you find, and you must hold in as near as you can, for if the Huntsmen cast wide out in beating for it, they may chance to light upon change, which will carry out your hounds to your great disadvantage. 

In the champagne, you may cast about at large without dread of change, and in the freshest and most commodious places where they might soonest find view, and so make it out, and where also the hounds may have best sent. For in the sandhills and dry places, a hound cannot make it out so well, by reason of the dust and sand which will strike up into his nose, and by reason the Sun sooner dries up the moisture from the ground in those places. Again, because in such heathy places and barren grounds, there is neither grass nor anything whereon the Deer may leave sent so well, and that is the cause that Huntsmen may cast about in the most convenient moist places, and in the fresh under some bush or shade where the earth is not so much dried and parched with the Sun. If they cannot make it out at the first casting about, they may then cast about the second time a larger compass; and if by that means they make it not out, then may they presume he is within that compass and precinct which they have so cast about, or else the Hart has made some crossing or some doubling, or used some subtlety. Let them lead back their hounds to the place they first fell at default, and put their hounds to it upon the slot, or where the earth is broken as they went before, and let them beat it well with their hounds, speaking to them and cherishing them all they can devise, as well with their voice as with their horns, and let them look well to the ground to help their hounds. 

It shall not be possible - thus doing - but that you shall rouse the Deer again within the circuit and compass that you had earst cast about; and at the least, if you do not, you shall yet find where he is gone on, and so make it out, unless the extremity of the heat altogether mars your hounds' hunting. Furthermore, you shall remember when a Hart breaks out from the hounds, by the two first places where you stay upon any crossing or doubling he has made, you shall perceive all the subtleties and policies he will use all that day after; for if his first doublings or other subtleties be in a highway or in a water than all the rest he will use all the day after will be in the same manner. 

Let the Huntsmen mark well on which hand he turns when he parts, for on which hand so ever he turn the two first times, on the same hand he will turn - at his parting - all the day after, whether it be on the right hand or on the left hand, and therefore remember ever when you come at any default to beat first on that hand he took at the two first defaults. 

Also, a Hart oftentimes uses great policies in the paths within the great woods and strong coverts, or else will follow such a path until he come to the outside of the wood, as though he would come out into the plain, and will immediately fall to double and cross, returning flat counter, sometimes two bowshot together; then, the Huntsmen to make it out at such a default must take good heed that their hounds take not the counter, because the Hart is backwards therewith so far, and also they shall find the slot or view - or at least the foyles of the view - fresher in the covert than they should do abroad in the field, the which may carry them far back upon the counter. Wherefore, at such defaults the Huntsmen shall not be too hasty with their hounds, but rather give them leisure, and let them hunt in dread and doubt until they have made it out perfectly. 

Also, there be some Harts which when they rise out of their lairs will halt or fall down upon their belly before the Huntsmen, and seem to reel and roil before the hounds, as if they were spent and sore hunted not long before; by such subtleties, you may judge easily they are old beaten Deer, and well breathed, and will stand long up before your hounds, trusting much in their force and swiftness, for a Huntsman may easily know when a Hart is spent indeed, and when he begins to sink and will not long hold up, by divers tokens. First, if he neither regard nor see any man or anything before the hounds run him, or if he bear his head low, putting his nose down to the ground, and reel or falter with his legs, showing how feeble he is indeed, or if he espy a man before him, he raises up his head, and makes great bounds and leaps on high as though he were lusty and fresh - as I have said heretofore - but such frisks will not last long, for when he is a little passed by, he will stretch out his neck again and hold down his head and will reel and wallow, as beforesaid. 

Or else, likewise you may know when a Deer is spent, if his mouth and throat be black and dry without any froth or foam upon it, and his tongue hanging out; likewise, by his slot or view where you find it, for oftentimes he will close his claws together as if he went at leisure, and straight way again will open them and stray them wide, making great glidings and hitting his dewclaws upon the ground, or his shankbones sometimes, and will commonly follow the beaten paths and ways, and never double nor cross, but very little. If he come to a hedge or a ditch, he will go all along to seek some brack or beaten leap, because he has not force to leap it roundly of himself. 

By all these tokens, you may know when a Deer is spent and ready to fall.

Thus will I end this chapter, praying all expert Huntsmen and Masters of Venery to hold me excused if I have overskipped, or left out anything meet to be set down, for as much as it is hard for any man to set down so well in writing as he might put it in execution. But always remember the art itself requires great skill, wit and policy in a Huntsman, and that he govern himself according to the variety of occasions, and according to the presumptions he shall see in the Deer's wiles and subtleties; therewithall, he have respect to the goodness or imperfection of the hounds, and to the crossings and doublings of the Deer together with the places where the smae are made. Thereupon, he may make his ring, and cast about little or much according to the commodity of the place, time and season, for hounds will moreover shoot in the heat, and in the time there is most sent upon the herbs, flowers and grass than at any other season of the year. Therefore, at such times and places, you shall do well to cast about a greater compass or circuit, and oftener also seeking moist and fresh places for the better scent and advantage of the hounds. 

Thus doing, you have very evil luck if you lose a Hart by default, so you will take pains and give not over for a little discomfort. Yea, when you are overtaken with the night, or your hounds are surbaited and weary, yet a good huntsman should not thereat be abashed, nor discomfited, but blemish upon the last slot or view, and to him again in the morning.