CHAPTER XVI 



OF ALAUNTES AND OF THEIR NATURE 



An alaunte is of the manner and nature of hounds. 

 And the good alauntes be those which men call 

 alauntes gentle. Others there be that men call 

 alauntes veutreres, others be alauntes of the 

 butcheries. They that be gentle should be made 

 and shaped as a greyhound, even of all things save 

 of the head, the which should be great and short. 

 And though there be alauntes of all hues, the true 

 hue of a good alaunte, and that which is most 

 common should be white with black spots about 

 the cars, small eyes and white standing ears and 

 sharp above. Men should teach! alauntes better, 

 and to be of better custom than any other beasts, 

 for he is better shaped and stronger for to do 

 harm than any other beast. And also commonly 

 alauntes are stordy ^ (giddy) of their own nature 

 and have not such good sense as many other 

 hounds have, for if a man prick " a horse the 



^ G. de F. has "estourdiz," which the "Master of Game" 

 translates as " stordy " or sturdy, but the modern sense would 

 be hairbrained, giddy, not sturdy. 



2 Means chase a horse. G. de F. says : " Se on court un 

 cheval, ils le prennent voulentiers," p. loo. 



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