THE ROYAL HOUNDS. 233 



note and a low note, which may be the foundation 

 for the refrain of a rather ribald song in Beaumont 

 and Fletcher's play, The Beggar's Bush : — 



My horn goes too high, too low, too high, too low. 



The various calls depended on the length of the 

 note or sound and the intervals between two sounds. 

 They were naturally of a simple character, and it was 

 not till the introduction of the brass French horn 

 that anything like a tune was practicable. 



The old books contain several elaborate sets of 

 directions much too lengthy to be set out here, 

 but it may be of interest to give an insight into the 

 principle of the thing, and set out the calls most in 

 use, such as the recheat and those mentioned above. 



A mote was a single note either long or short, but 

 usually long. 



On uncoupling the hounds three motes were blown, 

 as we read in Chaucer's " Dream " : — 



The Mayster hunte anone fote hote, 

 With his horn blew three motes 

 At the uncoupling of his houndes. 



Twici, who sets out a number of calls, expresses 



them in syllables thus : ^rout for a single long note, 



trourourout for two short notes and a long ; put 



in the usual symbols, this would be trout — 



trourourout ^-< w^- — . 



A recheat was trourourourout three times repeated, 

 thus : w. s_. ^ — ^ ^ ^ ^ — ^ s_^ w v_. — , 



If anyone viewed the deer he blew a mote and 



