THE MANNER OF HUNTING 193 



there where there is a great change of rascal. And 

 that is the cause why the other hounds shall be first 

 uncoupled to make the rascal void, for small deer 

 will sooner leave their covert than will a great 

 hart, unless it be a hind that hath her calf in the 

 wood, and hath lately calved. And when the 

 rascal is thus voided then the hart hounds are 

 uncoupled and they find the great old wily deer that 

 will not lightly void, and they enchace him well and 

 lustily and make him void both to bows and to 

 greyhounds, so that they fully do their duty. And 

 all the while that the hunting lasteth should the 

 carts go about from place to place for to bring the 

 deer to the curée. And there should the server 1 

 of the hall be to arrange the curves, and to lay the 

 game in a row, all the heads one way — and every 

 deer's feet to the other's back. The harts should 

 be laid in two or three rows (by themselves) accord- 

 ing to whether there be many or few, and the rascal 

 in the same way by themselves, and they should take 

 care that no man come within the curves till the 

 King come, save the Master of the Game. And 

 when the covert is well hunted and cleared, then 

 should the Master of the Game come to the King to 

 know . if he would hunt any piore. And if the 

 King say yea, then shall the Master of the Game 

 if the greyhounds or bows or stable need not to be 



1 The beginning of this sentence relating to the " server of 

 the hall" is not in our MS. but in the Shirley MS. 



N 



