The hooke of Hunting 12^ 



which had ouercome his enimies in many battels, and had done 

 great deeds of Chiualrie in his Countrie, and was yet neuerthe- 

 lefle flayne with an Harte in breaking of a Bay. Behold gentle 

 •^Reader the vnconftancie of variable fortune. A Prince whiche 

 had done fo many deedes of prowefle amongft men : which had 

 both comforted his friendes, and difcomforted his enimies : which 

 had peaceably defended his people, and courageoufly affaulted 

 fuche as fought to fubuert his dominion, was at the laft in the 

 pryde of his pleafure, in the purfute of his paftime, and in the 

 vnexpedted day of his deftenie, V4nquiflied, flayne, and gored with 

 ^the homes of a brute Beaft : yea (that more is) by a fcarefull 

 beaft, and fuch an one as durft not many dayes nor houres before 

 haue beheld the countenance of the weakeft man in his kingdome : 

 A Beaft that fledde from him, and a beaft whom he conftreyned 

 (in his owne defence) to do this deteftable murder. Jhis ex- 

 ample may ferue as a mirrour to al Princes and Poteftates, yea 

 and generally to all eftates, that they brydle their mindes from 

 proferyng of vndeferued iniuries, and do not conftrayne the 

 limpTe fakelefle man to ftand in his owne defence, nor to do (like 

 the worme) turne agayne when it is troden on. I woulde not 

 haue my wordes wrefted to this conftrudion, that it were vn- 

 lawfuU to kill a Deare or fuch beafts of venerie : for fo fliould 

 I both fpeake agaynft the purpofe which I haue taken in hande, 

 and aeayne I fhould feeme to argue againft Gods ordinances, 

 fince^ feemeth that fuche beaftes haue bene created to the vfe of 

 man and for his recreation :")but as by all Fables fome good mo- 

 ralitie may be gathered, fo by all Hiftories and examples, fome 

 good allegoric and comparifon may be made. A^d to returne to 

 the matter, I might recite many other ftories and examples, but 

 this may fuffice to admonifli all Huntefmen that they go wifely 

 and warily to a Harte when he is at Baye : as hereafter I will 

 more largely declare. You ftiall vnderftand then, that there are 

 Bayes in the water and Bayes on the lande, and if an Harte 

 be in a deepe water, where the Huntefman cannot come at him, 

 the beft thing that he can do, fhalbe to couple vp his houndes, 

 and that for many caufes : for if they fhoulde long continue in 



the 



