228 GREYHOUNDS AND THE IB MASTERS 



the grayhounde, demanded of the Kynge what the gray- 

 hounde would do ? 



' " Cosyn," quod the Kynge, " it is a great good token 

 to you, and an evil sygne to me." 



' " Sir, how know ye that ? " quod the Duke. 



' " I know it well," quod the Kynge ; " the grayhound 

 maketh you chere this day as Kynge of England, as ye 

 shall be, and I shall be deposed ; the grayhounde hath 

 this knowledge naturally, therefore take hym to you, he 

 will follow you and forsake me." The Duke understoode 

 well those words, and cheryshed the grayhounde, who 

 would never after follow Kynge Kichard, but followed 

 the Duke of Lancaster.' 



Among the kings who made friends and pets of grey- 

 hounds, we must not forget Frederick the Great, who 

 generally did not waste love upon anybody ! He even 

 carried his affection for them so far that he used to take 

 a small variety, known as the Italian greyhound, with him 

 in his campaigns. Once, during the Seven Years' War, he 

 was out inspecting the ground with a view to a battle, 

 when he accidentally got separated from his officers. 

 Hearing a party of Austrians approaching, he picked up 

 his greyhound, and hid under the arch of a bridge that 

 crossed a little stream close by. The enemy, who knew 

 that he was somewhere about, passed the bridge several 

 times in search of him, and Frederick waited in terror, 

 expecting every moment that a bark from his dog would 

 betray him. But the dog seemed to understand how 

 much depended on his silence, and remained perfectly 

 still, till the footsteps had died away. On the death of 

 the little fellow, some time after, he was buried in the dogs' 

 graveyard, belonging to the palace, where each dog has a 

 tombstone, and on it is engraved his name and the 

 good qualities which marked him when alive. 



Although, in general, greyhounds are not so ingenious 

 as other dogs, now and then one shows himself sur 

 prisingly clever in getting what he has set his mind on. 



