The hooke of Hunting i5p 



or vntill he finde fome fmall dale, or freflie place by the waye 

 where the hound es may finde fent. And he himfelfe alfo muite 

 Jooke narowly vpon the grounde, as he goeth, if he can finde the 

 footing of the Hare (which we call pricking) the whiche he fliall 

 eafily know : for the fafhion of an Hares foote is fliarpe, and made 

 like a kniues poynt, and hyr little nayles do alwayes faften vpon 

 the grounde, fo that he fliall fee the prick es of them in any moyft 

 place, or where the grounde is fofte : for an Hare when flie fleeth 

 before the houndes, doth neuer open hyr foote nor nayles in fun- 

 der, as flinkyng chafes and vermine do, but keepeth hir foote al- 

 wayes clofe lyke the poynt of a knife. So is there alfo certaine 

 places and feafons, in the whiche an hounde can haue no fent of 

 an Hare, as in the winter feafon, in the playne champaigne coun- 

 tries, where the ground is fatte and rotten : and the Hare (ha- 

 uing an hearie foote) when flie fleeth, the vppermofl: of the earth 

 and grounde fl:icketh vpon the fole of hir foote, fo that flie carieth 

 it away with hyr, and that couereth and taketh away all the fent 

 from the houndes: and agayne in fuche playnes there are com- 

 monly no braunches nor twigges which flie might touche with 

 hyr body and fo leaue fent thereby. Agayne there are certayne 

 moneths in the which a hounde fliall haue no fent (or very little) 

 of an Hare : as in the Spring time by reafon of the vehement 

 fmell of the fweete flowers and hearbes, which doth exceede the 

 fent of an Hare. Likewife you mufl:e take heede that you hunte 

 not in a harde frofl:e, for fo your houndes fliall fur bay te theyr 

 feete and loofe their clawes, and yet at that feafon an Hare run- 

 neth better than at any other, bicaufe y® foale of hyr feete is hea- 

 rie. You fliall vfe in maner the fame termes and wordes to en- 

 courage your hariers, that you vfe to encourage your Bucke- 

 houndes, and fuche as you hunte any Deare withaU : Sauing 

 onely at the hallowe to an Hare you fay, Haw^ Haij^ HaiVy here^ 

 HaWy here^ ^c. Wheras in hallowing of a Deare you fay when 

 the hounds come in, Thats he^ Thats he^ To him^ to him^ to h'lm^c, 

 Againe remember that when foeuer you entre your yong houndes, 

 you neuer helpe them to kill the Hare with your Greyhoundes, 

 for if you accufl:ome to courfe the Hare with your Greyhoundes 



N 1 before 



