I pi The boohe of Hunting 



good paflime at this vermine, fhall do well to ftop vp his earthes 

 if he can finde them : and let him ftoppe them vp the night be- 

 fore he meaneth to hunte. About midnight when he may be fure 

 that the Foxe is gone abroade to feeke his praye, let the earthes 

 then be flopped with boughes and earth well and ftrongly ram- 

 med, that mafter Raynard get not in again ouer haflely. Some 

 vfe to fet vp bleinchers, or fewels (which are white papers) or to 

 lay two white ftickes a crofle before the hole, and holde opinion, 

 that when a Foxe efpyeth thofe ftickes or fewels, he will mi- 

 ftruft that it is fome engin to take him, and will turne backe 

 againe : but I thinke not that fo fure as to ftoppe the earthes. If 

 the huntfman know not where the earthes be, let him feeke them 

 out two or three days before he meaneth to hunt, and ftop them. 

 But bicaufe fomtimes a huntfman can not find al the blinde earthes 

 y* are in couerts and greate woods : then if a Foxe finde out fome 

 of them, and fo beguile the huntefman, he maye yet get him out 

 eyther quicke or deade, without Terryers, in this manner. If 

 there be any more holes than one in the earth, let him fet purfe- 

 nets or bagges in one of the holes vnder the winde, euen as he 

 would fet for a Badgerd, and let him ftop vp all the holes befides, 

 but one, and let that one be aboue the wynde as neare as he can. 

 Then let him take a piece of parchment or leather, and laye it in 

 the hole, laying fyre vpon it, and putting brymftone, Myrre, and 

 fuch fmothering greace vpon the fire : there withall let him ftoppe 

 vp the hole, and fuffer the fmother to go into the earth. This done, 

 the Foxe will not long abide in the earth, but will either ftarte 

 into the purfnet or bagge, or elfe will found dead the next day at 

 fome other of the holes mouthes which were flopped. The beft 

 ' hunting of the Foxe aboue the ground is in lanuarie, Februarie, 

 and March. Yet you may hunt him from Alhollantide, vntil 

 : Eafter. When y« leaues are falne, you fhall beft fee your houndes 

 hunting, and befb finde his earths. And alfo at y* time the Foxes fkyn 

 (which is the befl part of him) is befl in feafon. Againe, the houn- 

 des do befl hunt a Foxe in the coldefl weather, bicaufe he leaueth 

 a verie flrong fent after him. Alwayes fet your Greyhounds on 

 X the outfides of the couertes vnderneath the winde, and let them 



flande 



