CHAPTER IX. 

 THE MASTIFF DURING ELIZABETH'S REIGN. 



While master goes throughout, 

 Sees shutters fast, the mastiff out. 



Kirk White. Summer Eve. 



IN my last chapter 1 traced the mastiff down to the Elizabc- 

 thian age, and in this I purpose reviewing Gains and several 

 old authors whose writings throw light on the breed. 



The learned Dr. Cains, alias Kayes, or Dr. John Kay, M.D., 

 who was born at Norwich, in 1510, and died in 1573, leaving 

 his estate, for elevating Gonville Hall, into what is now 

 termed Cains College, Cambridge. I mention these particu- 

 lars in order to show that Cains was an Englishman, as from 

 gentle Will Shakespeare making use of his name in " Merry 

 Wives of Windsor," some readers might fall into the error of 

 regarding him as a Frenchman, and consequently give less 

 credence to his work. He wrote about 1550, in Latin, a 

 quaint treatise, " De Canibus Britannicus," for the use of the 

 famous naturalist, Conrad Gesner, and from this treatise it 

 would seem Gains had sent Gesner a treatise for private use 

 live years previously, in which, there was fuller mention of 

 the Scotch dogs, and that Gesner had mentioned this former 

 treatise in writing to Dr. Win. Turner, who died in 1568, just 

 three years after Gesner. 



A translation of the second treatise was published in 1576, 

 by one Abraham Flemmmg. from whose introduction it would 

 seem the latter was a bald-headed old gentleman at the time, 



