66 "THE BRITISH PUGNACES. 



" times since it appears that the Emperors had here their 

 " Colonial weaving manufactory, this being the principal of 

 " the British ports and lying, nearest to Italy. In the Notitia 

 " we have, 'Procurator cynegii in Britannis ventensis or ben - 

 " tensis,' where that eminent civilian J.Cunacmsreads 'cyncecii' 

 " which in his Paratitla on the codes he interprets 'sacrum 

 " textrinum or royal weavery.' Of his opinion is Pancirolus, 

 " who writes that these Cyncecii were founded to make clothes 

 " for the emperor ;i:ul the army, and also bed, sail, and other 

 "household linen ; but Wolf-gangus Lazius thinks the officer 

 "had the care of the emperor's dogs here. It is certain our 

 " dogs were celebrated as the best in Europe, insomuch as 

 "Strabo Lib. iv. p. 199, says the)- served as soldiers and 

 " were used in war by the ancient Gauls, and were in great 

 "demand for the sports in the amphitheatre at Rome.'' 



The foregoing is from page i6<S of Camden's Britannica, 

 enlarged by Richard Gough 2nd Edition 1806, and in it there 

 is a note to the effect that ki it cannot be otherwise than 

 "cyncecii if we attend to the company it is in, a list of 

 " superintendents of wardrobes of linen manufacturers and 

 " dyers, cyncecii, lainsicia, and baptica," From this passage 

 in Camden has the whole misstatement seemingly been 

 fabricated. Had the officer in question been a superintendent 

 to procure and forward .British baiting dogs for the Amphi- 

 theatre, his title would have been Procurator Pugnacium Vcl 

 Molossorum. 



However it will be seen there is not sufficient to warrant 

 any careful writer on the mastiff accepting the statement 

 that any such officer existed to procure and forward mastiffs 

 or any sort oi dogs for Rome, and the mistake appears from 



