OF SICKNESSES OF HOUNDS 87 



is somewhat gaping as if they were enosed 1 in their 

 throat, and so they die, within the term beforesaid 

 without doing any harm. Some men say that it 

 cometh to them from a worm 2 that they have 

 under the tongue, and ye should find but few 

 hounds that hath not a worm under the tongue. 

 And many men say that if that worm was taken 

 from them they would never go mad, but thereof 

 I make no affirmation. Nevertheless it is good 

 to take it from them, and men should take it 

 away in this manner. Men should take the 

 hound when he is past half a year old and hold 

 fast his fore-feet, and put a staff athwart his 

 mouth so that he should not bite. And after 

 take the tongue and ye should find the worm 

 under the tongue, then ye should slit the tongue 

 underneath and put a needle with a thread betwixt 

 the worm and tongue and cut and draw the worm 

 out with the thread or else with a small fin of wood. 

 And notwithstanding that men call it a worm 

 it is but a great vein that hounds have under 

 their tongue. This madness diseaseth not other 

 hounds, neither man nor other beast. That 

 other madness is called falling, for when they 

 want to walk straight they fall now on one side 

 and now on the other side, and so die within the 



1 Means " a bone in their throat." G. de F. (p. 88) : " comme 

 si ils avoient un os en la gueule." In the Shirley MS. " enosed," 

 i.e. " un osP See Appendix : Madness. 



2 See Appendix : Worming. 



