THE BANDOG OR MASTIFF. 73 



have great bandogs, will tear their skin.'' Shakespeare also 

 says " The time when screech owls fly and bandogs howl." 

 Hen. vi., scene iv., act i. Again " Bowgh wowgh ! the 

 watchdog's bark." The Tempest, scene ii., act i. 



Koch mentions the bandog, bond-dog as an instance of a 

 compound, in which one or both of the elements have been 

 changed, or become obsolete. Koch iii., p. 98. But consider- 

 ing the number of good authorities there are for the spelling 

 bandog; with every deference to Koch, I consider he was 

 mistaken about any elementary change, and the contraction 

 from band-dog is only an instance of natural syncope that we 

 find in most languages. Although in the Promptorum Par- 

 vilorum sive Clericorum Diclionarius, made about 1440, and 

 published by A. Way, in 1865, P a e 43> * s mentioned the 

 bondogge or bonde-dogge molossus, and in a note, Way gives 

 it bonde-doge molossus. 



The bandog (spelt band-dog in this instance) is mentioned 

 in the old English ballad of ' Robin Hood and the Curtail 

 Friar," i.e. a Cistercian monk of Fountains, Abbey, Yorskhire, 

 which shows that the mastiff was used for the same purposes 

 very much as keepers still use them at times. The old lines 

 are 



" The Friar set his fist to his mouth, 



" And *whuted whutes three : 



" Half a hundred good baud -dogs 



" Came running over the lee-." 



" Two dogs at once to Robin Hood did goc, 



" The one behind, the other before, 



" Robin Hood's mantle of Liucolne greenc. 



" Off from his backe they tore." 



* To whute is the shrill whistling noise made by shepherds and boys 

 by putting their fiugers into their mouths and whistling in a certain way. 

 It is much more shrill than the ordinary whistle, and can be heard at a 

 considerable distance. 



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