Chaucer's Alaunts 133 



a man must have had a very large experience of dogs if he has 

 seen three first-class alaunts in all his life. 



The gentle alaunt is built exactly like a greyhound, except that he 

 has a short, thick head. 



The veltre is formed like an ill-shaped greyhound, only with a 

 big head. 



The butchers' alaunt is not particularly described as to his appear- 

 ance. 



The gentle alaunt has straight and pointed ears, rendered sharper 

 by cropping. The veltre has large ears and large lips. 



The gentle alaunt is preferably white, touched with black about 

 the ears. Its nostrils are white, and its eyes white and very small. 



The veltre serves a good purpose in the chase of the bear and 

 wild boar, but is too heavy and slow for the pursuit, and therefore 

 needs to be supplemented by the greyhound. The greyhounds come 

 up with the quarry, and keep it at bay till the veltres seize it. In 

 default of veltres, butchers' alaunts may be used for this purpose. 



The chief use of butchers' alaunts is to capture and hold an animal, 

 such as an ox, that is running away ; they are also employed as 

 watchdogs, and as a substitute for veltres in the chase. 



In the book called The Master of Game, written by Edward, 

 second Duke of York, probably between 1406 and 1413,^" the 

 chapter on the alaunts is translated, with minor variations, from 

 that by Gaston de Foix. This chapter^' is as follows,^^ the 

 chief variations being indicated by italics, the punctuation some- 

 what improved, and an occasional emendation suggested in square 

 brackets : 



Alaunt is a maner and nature of houndes, and J'e good alauntz ben 

 J^e [J'o?] which men clepyn alauntz gentil; other ]>er byn ]>a.i men 

 clepyn alauntz veutreres. OJ'er byn alauntz of J'e bocherie. Thei J'at 

 ben gentile shuld be made and shape as a greyhounde, evyn of alle 

 J'inges'" sauf of \>t heved, Jje whiche shuld be greet and short; and 

 ]>owt ther [byn] alauntes of alle hewes, J^e verrey hue of Jje good 

 alauntz >*^ is moost comon shuld be white, wi]> a blak spott about I'e 

 eerys, smale [and white] eyne, and white stondyng eres and sharpe 

 above. 



Men shuld teche alauntz bettir, and to be of better custumes, J'an 

 eny ©Jjer beestis, for he is bettir shape, and strenger for to do harme, 

 J'an eny oj^er beest. Also comonly alauntz byn stordy"" of here owyn 



^® Ed. Baillie-Grohman, London, 1904. See Wells, pp. 427, 833. 

 "Chap. 16. 

 '' Op. cit., pp. 64-5. 

 ^^ Equally in all respects. 



^"Stubborn, headstrong, dogged, unruly; cf. 'sturdy beggars.' The 

 alaunt has been compared to the Great Dane (see p. 136), of which Leigh- 



