DOG KIND. 5 



threatens, fights, and either conquers alone, or 

 alarms those who have most interest in coming to 

 his assistance : however, when he has conquered, 

 he quietly reposes upon the spoil, and abstains 

 from what he has deterred others from abusing ; 

 giving thus at once a lesson of courage, tempe- 

 rance, and fidelity. 



From hence we see of what importance this 

 animal is to us in a state of nature. Supposing, 

 for a moment, that the species had not existed, 

 how could man, without the assistance of the dog, 

 have been able to conquer, tame, and reduce to 

 servitude, every other animal? How could he 

 discover, chase, and destroy, those that were 

 noxious to him ? In order to be secure, and to 

 become master of all animated nature, it was ne- 

 cessary for him to begin by making a friend of a 

 part of them ; to attach such of them to himself, 

 by kindness and caresses, as seemed fittest for 

 obedience and active pursuit. Thus the first 

 art employed by man was in conciliating the 

 favour of the dog ; and the fruits of this art were, 

 the conquest and peaceable possession of the 

 earth. 



The generality of animals have greater agility, 

 greater swiftness, and more formidable arms, from 

 nature, than man ; their senses, and particularly 

 that of smelling, are far more perfect : the having 

 gained, therefore, a new assistant, particularly 

 one whose scent is so exquisite as that of the 

 dog, was the gaining a new sense, a new faculty, 

 which before was wanting. The machines and 

 instruments which we have imagined for perfect- 



