12 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



maket a flowryng age. That ys to sey a feyre age 

 & a longe and sith hyt ys so I aske this questyon 

 wyche bynne the menys & cause to reduse a man 

 to a mery spryte." The authoress assumes that this 

 is brought about by " good & honeste dysportes," of 

 which she selects four, hunting, hawking, fowling, 

 and fishing. 



Hunting she considers to be 



to gret labur. The hunter must all day renne 

 & folow hys howndes travelyng & swetyng ful soyr 

 he blowythe tyl hys lyppys blyster and wen he 

 wenyt [i.e., supposes] hyt be a hare ful often hit ys 

 a heyghoge thus he chaset and wen he cummet 

 home at even, reyn beton (rain beaten) seyr prykud 

 with thornes & hys clothes tornes wet schod fulwy 

 [miry] sum of hys howndes lost som surbatted suche 

 grevys & meny other to the hunter hapeth. 



Hawking is also "laborous and ryght noyous 

 [troublesome]. The fawkner often tymes leseth hys 

 hawkes. Full often he cryethe & wystel [whistleth] 

 tyl he be sor a thryst." 



The following extract is taken verbatim from the 

 Treaty se of ffysshynge wyth an Angle, 14.96, but 

 the orthography of some of the subsequent quota- 

 tions is slightly modified. 



The dysporte & game of fowlynge me semyth 

 moost syrnple For in the wynter season the fowler 

 spedyth not but in the moost hardest and coldest 

 weder : whyche is greuous. For whan he wolde goo 

 to his gynnes he maye not for colde. Many a gynne 

 and many a snare he makyth. Yet soryly dooth he 

 fare. At morn tyde in the dewe he is weete shode 



