122 A Discourse on Hunting, 
They must sometimes let them loose, and if they offer to goe away from their 
Keeper, or raunge abroade, he must call them in to him, and make them 
obedient to his voyce, & to come in to him at all times, be he on horsebacke 
or on foote. Your Huntsman must haue a Combe to combe the hounds he 
leadeth, from fleas, and a hairecloth to rub them withall after, to make them 
fine and smooth. You must beware that you offer not to hunt the Bucke 
before the first day of Grasse time: for Fawnes bee so weake, that if your 
Hounds should take the killing of them, you should hardly bereaue them of it. 
A weeke before you entend to hunt, you must feed your yong hounds with 
chippings of bread, upon the top of an old Buckes head. And before you 
hunt the Bucke, you must also breathe your hounds in an evening or morning 
at the Hare: for whoso hunteth unbreathed hounds at the Bucke first in hot 
weather, causeth them to unbolt and surbate greatly. When you enter your 
hounds at the Bucke, keepe them not too hye in flesh till after Bartholmew- 
tide, and then as hye as youcan. The best feeding for Bucke hounds is bread 
and milke : but you must beware of giuing them newe bread, for then will 
they not hunt of two daies after. 
Low to enter your hounds at the Bucke. 
Ou must come into the Parke with ten or twelue couple of hounds loose 
at the stirrop, hauing in your companie halfe a dosen well horsed, with 
long roddes in their hands, shewe the hounds to the heard, and if any offer to 
runne thereat, rate them and beate them in againe to the stirrop. Then goe 
beate the brakes to finde some greater Deare, and if any hound hunt from his 
fellowes, or runne at raskall, take him up in a line, and beating him, say, awe 
ware that. Then leade him to the stirrop againe, and there let him loose 
amongst his fellowes, cherish and giue him bread, in which beating you make 
your hounds so obedient to the voyce of man, that they will at euery worde 
come in to the stirrop. This done, you may begin to tuft for a Bucke, and 
finding him single, especiallie if he rouse foorth of a great brake, put your 
hounds softly upon, for he will fall off at the beginning: which although the 
Huntsman see, yet must he giue libertie to the yong hounds to imprime him 
themselves. And being sure it is his owne Déere, he may giue one gibbet at 
euery imprime, and no more. When your hounds haue forced him that he 
falls to flying single, and the Huntsman spie him in any thick copie or great 
brake, he may say (he thats, he that) once and no more, which is knowledge 
to the other Huntsmen, that he seeth him, and all Huntsmen as the Déere 
groweth wearie, must forbeare to hallowe, for a hallowe doth breake the crie, 
and the wearie Déere at any time making his doubles, and the hounds 4 little 
stopping, all which haue hornes must begin their rechates, which before they 
haue ended, the hounds will haue undone the dubble and bee in full chase 
againe: so that all the time will be fild either with hunting or blowing. 
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