there where there is a great change of rascal. And that is the cause why the other hounds shall be first uncoupled to make the rascal void, for small deer will sooner leave their covert than will a great hart, unless it be a hind that hath her calf in the wood, and hath lately calved. And when the rascal is thus voided then the hart hounds are uncoupled and they find the great old wily deer that will not lightly void, and they enchace him well and lustily and make him void both to bows and to greyhounds, so that they fully do their duty. And all the while that the hunting lasteth should the carts go about from place to place for to bring the deer to the curée. And there should the server[245] of the hall be to arrange the curées, and to lay the game in a row, all the heads one way—and every deer's feet to the other's back. The harts should be laid in two or three rows (by themselves) according to whether there be many or few, and the rascal in the same way by themselves, and they should take care that no man come within the curée till the King come, save the Master of the Game. And when the covert is well hunted and cleared, then should the Master of the Game come to the King to know if he would hunt any more. And if the King say yea, then shall the Master of the Game if the greyhounds or bows or stable need not to be removed, blow two long motes for the hounds, and forthwith blow drawing with three long motes that men should stand still, and the hunters may know that they should come to a new seeking with their hounds. And when the hounds be come there where they should uncouple blow three long motes and do and seek and blow, as is before said. And if the bows and greyhounds and stable should be removed, then should he blow a mote and stroke, without the mote in the middle, for to draw men together, and thereby may men know that the king will hunt more ere he go home. And when men come together, then should the Master of the Game see to the placing of the King and of the Queen and of the bows and of the greyhounds and of the stable, as I have said here before, and the hunters to their seeking, and of all other things do in the same manner as I have said. And if the king will hunt no more, then should the Master of his Game, if the King will not blow, blow a mote and stroke with a mote in the middle and the sergeant or whoso bloweth next him, and no man else, should blow the first mote but only the middle, and so every man as oft as he likes to stroke, if they have obtained that which they hunted for. And the middle mote should not be blown save by him that bloweth next the master. And thereby may men know as they hear men stroke homeward whether they have well sped or not. And this way of stroking should serve in the manner I have rehearsed for all hunting save when the hart is slain with strength. And when the mote is blown and stroked, then should the Master of the Game lead the King to the curée, and show it him, and no man as I have said above should come within it, but every man (keep) without it. And then the King shall tell the Master of the Game what deer he would were (given away) and to whom, and (after this) if the King wishes to stay he may. Nevertheless he usually goes home when he hath done this. And then should the Master of the Game begin at one row and so forth, and tythe all the deer right as they lie, rascal and others, and deliver it to the proctors of the church that ought to have it. And then (separate) the deer that the king commandeth him to deliver, and if any of them that should have part of the deer be not there he should charge the master forester to send it home, and then he should deliver a certain (part) of the remnant to the afore said sewers and to the sergeant of the larder and the remnants should be given by the Master of the Game, some to the gentlemen of the country by the information of the forester or parker, as they have been friendly to the bailie, and the remnant to the officers and hunters as he liketh best. And it is to be known that every man bow and fewterer that hath slain anything should mark it that he might challenge his fee, and have it at the curée, but let him beware that he marks no lord's mark nor (other) fewterers nor hunters, or he will lose his fee. And also it is to be known that the fees of all follies belong to the master of the harriers, if so be that he or his deputy be at the hunting, and blow three motes and else not, in which case the Master of the Game can give it to whom he wishes save what the King slayeth with his bow or the Queen or my lord the prince, or that which they bid with their own mouth to let run to. And all shall be judged folly of red deer which is beneath the hart, and of fallow deer which is beneath the buck, nevertheless if the harrier would challenge the deer for folly, and it is not folly, if there be a strife with him who asketh the fee, the Master of the Game shall judge it, and right so shall he do of all these strifes for fees between bow and bow, and fewterer and fewterer, and of all other strifes and discords that belong to hunting. And when all the deer be delivered, and the hunters and the fewterers of the kennel be assigned to undo the deer that be delivered for the king's larder, then should the grooms chacechiens of the hart-hounds gather the paunches and small guts together and do with them as is advised in the chapter of the hart hunting with strength, and get them a skin to lie thereover, and do as in the same chapter described with the

HART-HUNTING WITH GREYHOUNDS AND RACHES

(From MS. f. fr. 616, Bib. Nat., Paris)

[Click for a larger image.]

greatest and best head (antlers) that they can find in all the curée. Save the blowing of the prise and the stroking and the menee, the bay should wait till the curées be done, and the flesh taken away, and there should the Master of the Game be, and the sergeant and all the yeomen and grooms of the office. And if the greyhounds[246] shall be rewarded it should be done right as is devised in the aforesaid chapter, except that the blowings above described shall be left out. And also whosoever slew the deer the yeomen of the office should have the skin that lyeth upon the deer when the hounds are rewarded. And also it is to know that the harriers when they have run shall be rewarded with the paunches and guts, but there is no need to make a long bay with the hart's head to them, for they are made to run and chase all game that one wishes, and that is the cause why the master of them has the fees of all deer save the hart and the buck, unless it be in the certain case before mentioned. And when the curée is done, and the bay made, then is the time for every man to draw homeward to his supper and to make himself as merry as he can. And when the yeomen berners and grooms have led home the hounds and set them well up and supplied them with water and straw according to what they need, then should they go to their supper and drink well and make merry. And of the fees it is to be known that the man whoever he be, who has smitten a deer while posted at his tree with a death-stroke so that the deer be got before the sun goes down, he shall have the skin. And if he be not posted or has gone from his tree, or has done otherwise than is said, he shall have none. And as of the fewterers, if they be posted, the first teaser and receiver[247] that draweth the deer down shall divide the skin.[248] Nevertheless in other lord's hunting whoso pincheth first and goeth therewith to the death he shall have the skin. And all the deer's necks are the hunters, and one shoulder and the chine is his that undoeth the deer, and the other shoulder is the forester's or the parker's fee that keepeth the bailie that is hunted. And all the skins of harts slain with strength of the hart-hounds, belong to the master of the hart-hounds as his fee, that is to say he that hath the wages of twelve pence a day for the office. It is to be known that when the king hunteth in the park or in the forest with bows and greyhounds, and it happens that any hart be slain with strength of hart-hounds, all the hart hunters after the King or the Master of his Game have blown a mote and stroked, all day they should stroke the assise that belongeth to the

THE "CURÉE" OR REWARDING OF THE HOUNDS