CHAPTER XV. Of Greyhounds and of Their Nature

OF GREYHOUNDS AND OF THEIR NATURE

The greyhound is a kind of hound there be few which have not seen some. Nevertheless for to devise how a greyhound should be held for good and fair, I shall devise their manner. Of all manner of greyhounds there be both good and bad, nevertheless the best hue is red fallow with a black muzzle. The goodness of greyhounds comes of right courage, and of the good nature of their father and their mother. And also men may well help to make them good in the encharning of them with other good greyhounds, and feed them well with the best that he taketh. The good greyhound should be of middle size, neither too big nor too little, and then he is good for all beasts. If he were too big he is nought for small beasts, and if he were too little he were nought for the great beasts. Nevertheless whoso can maintain both, it is good that he have both of the great and of the small, and of the middle size. A greyhound should have a long head and somewhat large made, resembling the making of a bace (pike). A good large mouth and good seizers the one against the other, so that the nether jaw pass not the upper, nor that the upper pass not the nether. Their eyes are red or black as those of a sparrow hawk, the ears small and high in the manner of a serpent, the neck great and long bowed like a swan's neck, his chest great and open, the hair under his chyn hanging down in the manner of a lion. His shoulders as a roebuck, the forelegs straight and great enough and not too high in the legs, the feet straight and round as a cat, great claws, long head as a cow hanging down.

Encharning, feed with the flesh of game, to blood.

Should be "luce," and G. de F. has "luz," from Lat. lucius, pike, p. 103.

G. de F., p. 104, says: "La harpe bien avalée en guise de lion," harpe meaning in this instance "flanks."

"Long head as a cow" is evidently a mistake of translator or scribe. G. de F. has: "le costé lonc comme une biche et bien avalé" ("the sides long as a hind, and hanging down well").

The bones and the joints of the chine great and hard like the chine of a hart. And if his chine be a little high it is better than if it were flat. A little pintel and little ballocks, and well trussed near the ars, small womb, the hocks straight and not bent as of an ox, a cat's tail making a ring at the end and not too high, the two bones of the chine behind broad of a large palm's breadth or more. Also there are many good greyhounds with long tails right swift. A good greyhound should go so fast that if he be well slipped he should overtake any beast, and there where he overtakes it he should seize it where he can get at it the soonest, nevertheless he shall last longer if he bite in front or by the side. He should be courteous and not too fierce, following well his master and doing whatever he command him. He shall be good and kindly and clean, glad and joyful and playful, well willing and goodly to all manner of folks save to the wild beasts to whom he should be fierce, spiteful and eager.

The following words should be added here, a line having been omitted by the scribe: "and straight near the back as a lamprey, the thighs great and straight as a hare." They are in Shirley MS. and G. de F., p. 104.

In lieu of this original passage G. de F., p. 105, has: "sans abayer, et sans marchander" ("without baying or bargaining").