130 Appendix B 



It might be inferred from the foregoing that the home of 

 the alaunt was in Spain, and this view is confirmed by the fact 

 that in the time of Gaston de Foix (see below) it was proverbial 

 that greyhounds came from Brittany, and alaunts and bird-dogs 

 from Spain* ; moreover, we are told by Commines that Louis 

 XI (1461-83) had alaunts brought from Spain. ^ 



As Foix is so near to the Pyrenees, it is not surprising that 

 the next authority on the alaunts is Gaston de Foix (1331-1391), 

 surnamed Phcebus,® son of the Gaston II who fought at Algeciras 

 in 1343.'^ That Gaston Phoebus was fond of the chase may be 

 deduced from the fact that he kept 1600 hounds.^ The full 

 title of his famous book, written between 1387 and 1391, is 

 Dcduits de la Chasse des Bestes Sauvaiges et des Oiseaidx de 

 Proye. It has been published by Joseph Lavallee (Paris, 1854), 

 as La Chasse de Gaston Phebus.^ The part that concerns the 

 alaunt here follows, with certain changes in punctuation (pp. 

 100-102) : 



Alanz est une nature et maniere de chiens"; et les uns sont que 

 on appelle alanz gentilz, les autres sont que on appelle alans veautres. 

 Les autres sont alans de boucherie. 



Les alans gentilz si doivent estre fez et taillez droitement comme 

 un levrier de toutes choses fors de la teste, qui doit estre grosse et 

 courte." Et combien qu'il en y ait de chescun poill, le droit bon 

 poil de alant, et qui plus est conimun, si doit estre blanc, avec aucune 



acostumbrarlos, et emponerlos en el tomar ; pero guardarlos de 

 grand afan, fasta que hayan dos aiios, 6 ano et medio a lo menos, 

 que non lo lleven a monte.' 

 Cf. Leighton (p. 86) on the breeding of the Great Dane. 



* De Noirmont 2. 294. 

 ^Ib. I. 112. 



^ In 1373, according to Froissart, Gaston sent to the Duke of Anjou four 

 coursers and two alaunts of Spain, fair and good (tr. Berners, reprint 

 of 1812, Vol. 2, chap. 24). Froissart himself in 1388 took to Gaston from 

 England four greyhounds — Tristan, Hector, Bren, and RoUand (Baillie- 

 Grohman, p. xxx). 



''Hist. Background^ pp. 219, 223, 225-6. 



* Baillie-Grohman. p. xxx. 



° There is a cheap reprint, Paris, 1897. 



" Cotgrave (Dictionarie, 1632) describes the Allan as 'a kind of big, 

 strong, thicke headed, and short snowted dog, the brood whereof came 

 first out of Albania.' To Florio it is simply 'a mastive dog.' 



" Cotgrave says it is 'like a Grayhound in all properties and parts, his 

 thicke and short head excepted.' 



