"I wish I were as I have been..."

" My hawk is tired of perch and hood,
My idle greyhound loathes his food,
My horse is weary of his stall,
And I am sick of captive thrall.
I wish I were as I have been,
Hunting the hart in forest green,
With bended bow, and bloodhound free,
For that 's the life is meet for me, "

poem extract from "The Sportsman and His Dog: Or, Hints on Sporting" By Elzéar Blaze, Herbert Byng Hall

The Properties Of A Good Grehounde

" A Grehound shold be heeded lyke a snake
And neckyd lyke a drake,
Footed lyke a catte,
Tayllyd lyke a ratte,
Syded lyke a teme,
And chynyd lyke a beme.
The fyrst- yere he must lerne to fede,
The 'second yere to felde him lede,
The thyrde yere he is felowe lyke,
The fourth yere there is none syke,
The fyfth yeare he is good enough,
The syxte yere he shall hold the plough,
The seventh yere he woll avaylle
Grete bytches for to assaylie,
The eygthe yere licke ladyll,
The nynthe yere cartsadyll ;
And when he is comyn to that yere
Have him to the tannere,
For the best Hounde that ever bytche had
At nynthe yere he is full badde. "

Extract from "The Booke of St. Alban's" by Dame Juliana Berners


A similar shorter proverb:

" The Shape of a good Greyhound.
A head like a snake, a neck like a drake,
A back like a beam, a belly like a bream,
A foot like a cat, a tail like a rat. "