The boke of Saint Albans

by Juliana Berners

How nonẏ maner beestis of venerẏ Releue

¶ How many maner beestis yit mayster me teƚƚ

Off venery Releuen by fryth or by ffeƚƚ

To this quod the mayster I shaƚƚ the answare

Off aƚƚ beestis bot .ij. the hert and the haare

From the Annunciacion of owre lady day

The hert then releues the sooth for to say

Tiƚƚ saynt Petris day and paule. and the haare right:

From the Purificacion of owre lady bright:

Tiƚƚ the translacion Releuys: leue ye me

Off saynt Thomas tide of Caunturburie.

To vndo the wẏlde Boore.

¶ Yit my chylde of the boore for to speke moore

When he shaƚƚ be vndoon I teƚƚ yow be foore

xxxij. bredis ye shaƚƚ of hym make

Now wiƚƚ yow my sonnys wit weere ye shaƚƚ them take

The fyrst of theym is the hede what euer be faƚƚ

An oder is the coler and so ye shaƚƚ hit caƚƚ

The sheldys on the sholderis: therof shaƚƚ .ij. be

Then eyder side of the swyne depertid in .iij.

The peestellis and the gambons deꝑte theym .ij.

And .ij. feleteys he hath: forgete not thoo

Then take is legges and is feete & shewith yowre sleght

For they shaƚƚ of his bredys be countid for .viij.

Departith the chyne in .iiij. pecis and nomoo

And take ther yowre bredis .xxx. and .ij.

And fayre put the grece whan it is take a way

In the bledder of the boore my chylde I yow pray

For hit is a medecyne: for mony maner pyne

¶ how ẏe shall breeke an Hert.

And for to speke of the hert while we thynke oon̄

My chylde fyrst ye shaƚƚ hym ẜue when he shaƚƚ be vndoon̄

And that is for to say or euer ye hym dyght

With in his owne hornys to lay hym vpright

At thessay cut hym that lordys may see:

A noon fat or leen wheder that he bee

Than cut of the coddis the bely euen froo

Or ye begynne hym to flee: and then shaƚƚ ye goo

At chaulis: to begynne assone as ye may

And slyttith hym downe euen to thassay

And fro thassay euen dewne the bele shaƚƚ ye slitt

To the pissiƚƚ ther the codde was a way kytt

Then slit the lyfte legge euen first before

And then the lyfte legge by hynde or ye do moore

And thees oder legges vppon the right syde

vppon thessame maner slyt ye that tyde

To goo to the chekys looke ye be prest

And so fleeth hym downe euen to the brest

And so fleeth hym forth right vnto thessay

Euen to the place where the codde was cut a way

Then fleeth thessame wyse aƚƚ that oder syde

Bot let the tayƚƚ of the beest stiƚƚ ther oon byde

Than shaƚƚ ye hym vndo my chylde I yow Rede

Ryght vppon his awne skynne and lay hit on brede

Take heede of the cuttyng of thessame dere

And begynne fyrst to make the Erbere

Than take owt the shulderis. and slyttith a noon̄

The baly to the syde from the corbyn bone

That is corbyns fee: at the deeth he wiƚƚ be

Then take owt the sewet that hit be not lafte

For that my chylde is good for lechecraft

Than put thyn honde softely vnder the brest bone

And ther shaƚƚ ye take owt therber a noon

Than put owt the paunche. and from the paunche taas:

A way wightly the Rate sich. as he haas

Hoole it with a fyngre. do as I yow kenne

And with the bloode and the grece fillith hit thenne

Looke threde that ye haue and nedeƚƚ therto:

For to sew it with aƚƚ or ye moore do.

The smale guttis than ye shaƚƚ owt pyt

From hem take the maw. foryet not it.

Than take owt the leuer. and lay hit on the skynne

And after that the bledder with owt moore dynne

Than dresst the Nombles: first that ye reke

Downe the avauncers kerue that cleues to the necke

And downe with the bolthrote put them a noon

And kerue vp the flesħ ther vp to the hach boon̄

And so forth the fillittis that ye vp arere

That fallith to the nombles. and shaƚƚ be ther:

With the neres also and sewit: that ther is

Euen to the mydryf that vppon hym is

Than take downe the mydrif from the sides hoote

And haue vp the nombles hoole by the boƚƚ throte

In thyn hond than them holde. and looke and se

That aƚƚ that longith them to. to geder that thay be

Than take them to thy broder to holde for trist

Whylis thow them dowblyst and dightis as the list

Than a way the lyghtis. and oon̄ the skynne them lay

To a byde the querre my chylde I yow pray.

Than shaƚƚ ye slyt the slough ther as the hert lith

And take a way the Eres from it and by slyth

For sich heris hath his hert: ay it vppon

As men may se in the beest when he is vndon̄

And in the myddis of the hert a boon shaƚƚ ye fynde

Looke ye yeue hit to a lorde. and chylde be kynde

For hit is kynde for mony malydies

And in the myddis of the hert euermore it lies

Than shaƚƚ ye kyt the skyrtis the teeth euen fro

And after the Ragge boon̄ cuttis euen also

The forchis: and the sydes euen betwene

And looke that yowre knyfe ay whettyd bene

Than turne vp the forchis. and frote them with bloode

For to saue the grece. so do men of goode

Than shaƚƚ ye cut the nek the sydes euen fro

And the hede fro the nek cuttyth also

The toong the brayn the paunch and the necke

When thay wasħ be weeƚƚ with water of the becke:

The smale guttis to the lightis in the derys:

A boue the hert of the beest when thow them reris

With aƚƚ the blode that ye may gete and wyn

Aƚƚ to geder shaƚƚ be take. and layde oon̄ the skyn.

To geue yowre houndes. that callid is I wis:

The quyrre. a boue the skyn for it etyn is

And who dightis hym so by my counsayle

Shaƚƚ haue the lefte shuder for hys trauayle.

And the Right shulder where so euer he bee

Yeueth to the foster for that is his fee

And the lyuer also of thessame beest

To the fosterys knaue yeueth at the leest

The nombles trussith in the skynne. and hardeƚƚ hym fast

The sides and the forches to geder that thay last

With thender legges. be doon̄ so it shaƚƚ

Than bryng it hoom. and the skynne with aƚƚ

The nombles. and the hornes. at the lordis yate

Than boldely blow the price tharat.

Yowre play for to mynne. Or that ye come Inne

¶ Explicit Dam Iulyans

Barnes in her boke of huntyng.

Bestis of the chace of the swete fewte & stinkīg.

Ther be beestys of the chace: of the swete fewte. And tho be the Bucke. the Doo. the Beere. the Reynḋ the Elke. the Spyccard. the Otre. and the Martron.

¶ Ther be beestis of the chace of the stynkyng fewte And thay be the Roobucke. and the Roo. the Fulmard. the Fyches. the Baude. the Graye. the Fox. the Squyreƚƚ. the whitrat. the Sot. and the Pulcatte.

¶ The namẏs of diuerse maner houndis

Theis be the namys of houndes. First ther is a Grehownd a Bastard. A Mengreƚƚ. a Mastyfe. a Lemor. a Spanyeƚƚ. Rachys. Kenettys. Teroures. Bocheris houndes. Myddyng dogges. Tryndeltayles. and Prikherid curris. and smale ladies popis thai beere a way the flees and dyueris smale fawtis.

¶ The propreteis of a goode Grehound.

A Grehounde shulde be heded like a Snake. and necked like a Drake. Foted like a Kat. Tayled like a Rat. Syded lyke a Teme. Chyned like a Beme

¶ The first yere he most lerne to fede. The secund yere to felde hym lede. ¶ The .iij. yere he is felow lyke. The .iiij yere ther is noon sike. ¶ The .v. yere he is good Inough The .vi. yere he shaƚƚ holde the plough ¶ The vij yere he wiƚƚ avayle: grete bikkys for to assayle. ¶ The .viij. yere likladiƚƚ. The .ix. yere cartsadyƚƚ. ¶ And when he is commyn to that yere: haue hym to the tanner. ¶ For the beest hownde that euer bikke hade. at .ix. yere he is fuƚƚ badde