himself for not following the modern custom of 

 praising his Patron, by reminding his Grace "that 

 it was a custom amongst the ancients, not to 

 sacrifice to heroes till after sunset." I defer my 

 sacrifice till Dick's sun is set. 



I think every family should have a dog ; it is 

 like having a perpetual baby ; it is the plaything 

 and crony of the whole house. It keeps them all 

 young. All unite upon Dick. And then he tells 

 no tales, betrays no secrets, never sulks, asks no 

 troublesome questions, never gets into debt, never 

 coming down late for breakfast, or coming in by 

 his Chubb too early to bed — is always ready for a 

 bit of fun, lies in wait for it, and you may, if 

 choleric, to your relief, kick him instead of some 

 one else, who would not take it so meekly, and, 

 moreover, would certainly not, as he does, ask 

 your pardon for being kicked. Never put a collar 

 on your dog — it only gets him stolen ; give him 

 only one meal a day, and let that, as Dame 

 Dorothy, Sir Thomas Browne's wife, would say, 

 be " rayther under." Wash him once a week, 

 and always wash the soap out ; and let him be 

 carefully combed and brushed twice a week. 



By the bye, I was wrong in saying that it was 

 Burns who said Man is the God of the Dog — he 

 got it from Bacon's Essay on Atheism, or perhaps 

 more truly — Bacon had it first. 



John Brown. 

 178 



