Paul Summers Young

  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...

  Of the Place where and how an Assembly should be made in the presence of a Prince, or some honorable person.  Who list - by me - to learn assembly for to make, for Kaiser, King or comely Queen, for Lord or Lady's sake: or where, and in what sort it should prepared be, mark well my words, and thank me then, for thanks I crave in fee. The place should first be pight, on pleasant gladsome green, yet under shade of stately trees, where little Sun is seen: and near some fountain spring, whose crystal running streams may help to cool the parching heat, caught by Phoebus' beams. The place appointed thus, it neither shall be clad,  with arras nor with tapestry, such paltry were too bad: nor yet those hot perfumes, whereof proud courts do smell,  may once presume in such a place, or paradise to dwell. Away with feigned fresh, as broken boughs or leaves, awway, away with forced flowers gathered from their groves: this place must of itself afford such sweet delight, and eke s...

How a Huntsman shall go to find a Hart again, when he has been hunted and lost the night before. It happens very often men fail of killing the Hart at force divers kinds of ways; sometimes by occasion of the great heat, or they be overtaken with night, and many other kinds of ways which should be tedious to rehearse. When such chance happens, you shall thus do. First, they who follow the hounds shall cast a mark at the last path or way where they shall fortune to leave the chase, that they may thither return to seek him on the morrow by the break of day with the Bloodhound, the hounds of the kennel behind them; for when there is occasion to seek a Hart again, you must not tarry for report nor assembly, because it is uncertain if the chase will long continue, nor into what coast he should be gone. Therewithal, Harts which have been hunted most commonly run endways as far as they have force; then, if they find any water or soil, they stay long therein, and so stiffen their joints that at...

  How the Huntsman should seek in the Springs or Feed, to find a Hart by the Eye. The huntsman ought to look overnight in what coast the Deer go to feed, and if it be in a spring, let him mark which way he may best come in the morning upon a clear wind. Also let him chose some standing in some tree on the border of the spring, from the which he may behold easily all things that feed therein. In the morning, let him rise two hours before day, and go to the covert, and when he is come near to the Deer's harborough, he should leave his hound in some house, or if he have a boy with him, he may leave his hound with the boy, and place him somewhere he may quickly find him again if he have need of him. Let him go to his tree, which he marked overnight, and let him espy a Hart which like him; let him mark what head he bears, and let him not stir from thence until he see him go to harborough. Afterwards, when he sees he is in the thick, he must mark the place whereabouts he entered by some ...

  Chapter 29. How the Huntsman should go drawing with his Hound in the Springs. Immediately after supper, the huntsman should go to his master's chamber, and if he serve a king, then let him go to the Master of the Game's chamber to know his pleasure, in what quarter he determines to hunt the day following, that he may know is own quarter. That done, he may go to bed, to the end he may rise the earlier in the morning, according to the time and season, and according to the place where he must hunt. When he is up and ready, let him drink a good draight, and fetch his hound to make him break his fast a little, and let him not forget to fill his bottle with good wine. Let him take a little vinegar in the palm of his hand, and put it in the nostrils of his hound, for to make him snuff to the end his scent may be the perfecter, then let him go to the wood. If he chance by the way to find any Hare, Partridge, or any other beast or bird that is fearful living upon seeds or pasturage, i...

  NOW leiff we þir folk heir lyand all still, as I haf borne on hand, and turn þe cours of our carpyng till Schir Robert the douchty Kyng, þat assemblit baþ fer and neir ane host, quhen þat he wist, but weir,  þat the Kyng swa of Yngland had assegit with stalward hand Berwyk, quhar Walter Steward was. Till purpos with his men he tais, þat he wald nocht sa soyne assale þe Kyng of Yngland wiþ battale, and at his dykis specially, for it mycht weill turn to foly. þarfor he ordanit lordis twa, þe Erll of Murreff wes ane of þa, þe toþir wes þe Lord Dowglas, wiþ fyftene þousand men to pas in Yngland, for till burn and sla, and swa great ryot þar till ma, þat þai þat lay segande þe toune, quhen þai herd þe distructione, þat þai suld intill Yngland ma,  suld be sa dredand, and sa wa for þair chyldir and for þair wyffis, þat þai suld dreid suld leis þar lyffis, and þar gudis alsua, þat þai suld dreid þan suld be had away, þat þai suld leif þe sege in hy, and wend to reskew hastely ...

  Chapter 23. Of the Judgement and Knowledge of the Fumishing of a Dear, and of the Ten in the Top, and of the Old Harts.  In the months of May and April, men may begin to judge an Old Hart by the fumishing, the wish they make in broad croteys; and if they be great, large and thick, it is a sign they are Harts of Ten.  In the month of June and July, they will commonly make their fumishing in great croteys, very soft; and yet nevertheless there are some will make them broad until it be mid-June.  And from mid-July until the end of August, they make their fumishing altogether formie, great, long, knotty, well-knodde, anointed and gilded, letting fall but few of them, the which they should let fall scattered without cleaving one to another, and without little pticks at the one end; and you must mark whether they be very fat, and whether the Hart has been in the corn or not.  And these be the marks or tokens by the fumishing of a Hart of Ten, and of old Harts, altho...