222 THE MASTIFFS. 



variety of Great Britain, exported from thence to 

 continental Europe, but from what is before stated, 

 we believe that it was imported by the Cimbric 

 Celtge of the north-east of England ; in fact, it is 

 still in that part of the kingdom the race is most 

 commonly found, and the name is not Celtic of the 

 western dialects of either Britain or Ireland. It 

 may be said that it is not Teutonic or Gothic, 

 though we might answer that the French matin 

 does not belong to that language, but is a word of 

 Frankish origin, distorted and misapplied in modern 

 France. As this species is known to exist in High 

 Asia, and extends in its full vigour through South 

 and Eastern Tartary, it is more likely from thence 

 that we have obtained it, than that it is an original 

 cross between the bull-dog and the great Dane, or 

 the slow-hound. Yet a race, either mastiff, bull- 

 dog, or both, was certainly existing in Britain be- 

 fore the arrival of the Romans, who valued their 

 courage so highly, that they were much sought for 

 to exhibit in the combats of the amphitheatre ; and 

 at length a Roman officer was charged with the 



away thieves. Without further intending to explain the first 

 word maze (to astonish), we may observe, that tfiefe is indeed 

 thief, but also a bitch ; and, in connexion with the Oriental 

 dialects, a dark, a ferocious dog or wolf. That the mastiff 

 was known to the Lombards, and possibly once deified, is suf- 

 ficiently evident from the respect attached to the names dog 

 and mastiff in the very ancient family de la Scala ; among the 

 earliest chiefs of that house, Cane and Mastino de la Scala 

 occur very repeatedly. 



