De Canibus Britannicis: Of Englishe DoggesCaius, John
Science
De Canibus Britannicis: Of Englishe Dogges
Caius, John
Dogs -- Early works to 1800
womã, whom he was a wooer vnto, dyd both bewraye the bloudy butcher, and
attempted to teare out the villons throate if he had not sought meanes
to auoyde the reuenging rage of the Dogge. In fyers also which fortune
in the silence (31) and dead time of the night, or in stormy weather of
the sayde season, the older dogges barcke, ball, howle, and yell (yea
notwithstandyng they bee roughly rated) neyther will they stay their
tounges till the householde seruauntes, awake, ryse, searche, and see
the burning of the fyre, which beyng perceaued they vse voluntary
silence, and cease from yolping. This hath bene, and is founde true by
tryall, in sundry partes of England. There was no faynting faith in that
Dogge, which when his Master by a mischaunce in hunting stumbled and
fell toppling downe a deepe dytche beyng vnable to recouer of himselfe,
the Dogge signifying his masters mishappe, reskue came, and he was
hayled up by a rope, whom the Dogge seeyng almost drawne up to the edge
of the dytche, cheerefully saluted, leaping and skipping vpon his master
as though he woulde haue imbraced hym, beyng glad of his presence, whose
longer absence he was lothe to lacke. Some Dogges there be, which will
not suffer fyery coales to lye skattered about the hearthe, but with
their pawes wil rake up the burnyng coales, musying and studying fyrst
with themselues how it myght conueniently be done. And if so bee that
the coales cast to great a heate then will they buyry them in ashes and
so remoue them forwarde to a fyt place wyth theyr noses. Other Dogges
bee there which exequute the office of a Farmer in the nyghte tyme. For
when his master goeth to bedde to take his naturall sleepe, And when,
A hundred barres of brasse and yron boltes,
Make all things safe from startes and from reuoltes.
VVhen Ianus keepes the gate with Argos eye,
That daungers none approch, ne mischiefes nye.
As Virgill vaunteth in his verses, Then if his master byddeth him go
abroade, he lingereth not, but raungeth ouer all his lands lying there
about, more diligently, I wys, then any farmer himselfe. And if he finde
anything their that is straunge and pertaining to other persons besides
his master, (32) whether it be man, woman, or beast, he driueth them out
of the ground, not medling with any thing which doth belong to the
possession and vse of his master. But how much faythfulnes, so much
diuersitie there is in their natures,
For there be some,
{ Which barcke only with free and open throate but will not bite,
{ Which doe both barcke and byte,
{ Which bite bitterly before they barcke,
The first are not greatly to be feared, because they themselues are
fearefull, and fearefull dogges (as the prouerbe importeth) barcke most
vehemently.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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