WILD STAG-HUXTINO. 189 



liart pretty much all the summer, perhaps looking more to the 

 velvet on the horns (a great delicacy) than to the condition the 

 stag himself was in, as we thus find in Chaucer : — 



Me thoghte thus, that hyt was May, 

 And in the dawnynge, ther 1 laye 

 Me mette thus in my bed al naked, 



TP TT TP tP 



And as I lay thus, wonder lowde 

 Me thoght I herde an hunte blowe, 

 Tassay hys home, and for to knowe 

 Whether hyt were clere, or horse of soune. 



And I herde goynge, bothe uppe and doune, 

 Men, hors, houndes, and other thynge, 

 And alle men speke of huutynge, 

 How they wolde slee the hert with strengthe. 

 And how the hert had upon lengthe 

 So much embosed, Y not now what. 

 Anoon ryght whan I herde that, 



How that they wolde on huntynge goon, 



I was ryght glad ; and up anoon 



Tooke I my hors, and forthe I wente 



Out of my chambre ; I never stente. 



Til I come to the felde withoute j 



Ther overtoke Y a grete route 



Of huntes and eke of foresterys, 



And many relay es and lymerjs; 



And hyed hem to the forest faste. 



And I with hem. So at the laste 



I axed oon ladde a lymere, ^ i ^' 



* Say, felowe ! whoo shal hunte here ? * .-V^ 

 Quod I ; and he answered ageyn, 



'Sir, thempeiour Octovyen ;* 

 Quod he, ' and ys here faste by,' 



* A goddys halfe, in good tyme !' quod I j 



* Go we faste !' and gan to ryde. 

 Whan we come to the forest side, 

 Every man didde ryht anoon, 



As to huntyng fille to doon. 



The mayster hunte, anoon, fote bote, 

 With a grete home blewe thre mote. 



