Note 91 — ARRIAN ON COURSING.
William Dansey translation
Oppian. Cyneg. iv. v. 425.
χρειὼ δὲ σκοπέλου μὲν ἀνάντεος ἠδὲ πάγοιο σεύεσθαι προθέοντα ποδωκέα φῦλα λαγωῶν, πρὸς δὲ κάταντα σοφῇσι προμηθείῃσιν ἐλαύνειν. αὐτίκα γὰρ σκύλακάς τε καὶ ἀνέρας ἀθρήσαντες πρὸς λόφον ἰθύουσιν, ἐπεὶ μάλα γινώσκουσιν ὅττι πάροιθεν ἔασιν ὀλιζότεροι πόδες αὐτοῖς. τοὔνεκα ῥηΐδιαι πτώκεσσι πέλουσι κολῶναι, ῥηΐδιαι πτώκεσσι, δυσάντεες ἱππελάτῃσι.
And Ælian, De Naturâ Animalium, states the advantage and disadvantage of this shape to the hare: Lib. xiii. c. 14.τὰ δὲ ἀνάντη μὲν καὶ ὑψηλὰ οἱ λαγῲ ἀναθέουσι ῥᾷστα· τὰ γάρ τοι κατόπιν κῶλα μακρότερα ἔχουσι τῶν ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ καταθέουσιν οὐκ ὁμοίως, λυπεῖ γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῶν ποδῶν τὸ ἐναντίον:—a circumstance well known to every courser, and not forgotten in the “Questions” of Dame Juliana’s poetical manual,
The Booke of Hunting, &c. Edmund Allde. 1586.
Tell me, maister, (quoth the man) what dooth it skill Why the hare would so faine runne against the hil? Quoth the maister, for her leggs be shorter before, And therfore she desireth to run that way evermore.