De Canibus Britannicis: Of Englishe DoggesCaius, John
Science
De Canibus Britannicis: Of Englishe Dogges
Caius, John
Dogs -- Early works to 1800
There is, besides those which wee haue already deliuered, another
sort of gentle dogges in this our Englishe soyle but exempted from
the order of the residue, the Dogges of this kinde doth
_Callimachus_ call _Melitæos_, of the Iseland _Melita_, in the sea
of _Sicily_, (what at this day is named _Malta_, an Iseland in
deede, famous and renoumed, with couragious and puisaunt souldiours
valliauntly fighting vnder the banner of Christ their vnconquerable
captaine) where this kind of dogges had their principall beginning.
Perexiguum id est planè, & fœminarum lusibus ac deliciis tantum
expetitum, quibus, quo minus est, eo gratius est, ut sinu gestent in
cubiculis, & manu in pilentis,
These dogges are litle, pretty, proper, and fyne, and sought for to
satisfie the delicatenesse of daintie dames, and wanton womens
wills, instrumentes of folly for them to play and dally withall, to
tryfle away the treasure of time, to withdraw their mindes from more
commendable exercises, and to content their corrupted concupiscences
with vaine disport (A selly shift to shunne yrcksome ydlnesse.)
These puppies the smaller they be, the more pleasure they prouoke,
as more meete play fellowes for minsing mistrisses to beare in their
bosoms, to keepe company withal in their chambers, to succour with
sleepe in bed, and nourishe with meate at bourde, to lay in their
lappes, and licke their lippes as they ryde in their waggons, and
good reason it should be so, for coursnesse with fynenesse hath no
fellowship, but featnesse with neatenesse hath neighbourhood enough.
That plausible prouerbe verified vpon a Tyraunt, namely that he
loued his sowe better then his sonne, may well be applyed to these
kinde of people who delight more in dogges that are depriued of all
possibility of reason, then they doe in children that be capeable of
wisedome and iudgement. But this abuse peraduenture raigneth where
there hath bene long lacke of issue, or else where barrennes is the
best blossome of bewty.
The vertue which remaineth in the Spainell gentle otherwise called
the comforter.
genus sanè ad omnia inutile, nisi quòd stomachi dolorem sedat,
applicatum sæpius, aut in sinu ægri gestatum frequentius, caloris
moderatione.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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