gi THE MASTIFF DTRIXG ELIZABETH'S REIGX. 



but a thorough dog lover as well as classical student, for he' 

 mentions his well-kept grass plat being trampled by the feet 

 of his dogs, showing that Cambridge students cultivated the 

 canine race during the reign of Elizabeth. Elemming's 

 translation has been reprinted line for line, and even error 

 for error, and issued by The Bazaar Office, 170, Strand, 

 London, \V.C., from whom it could be had post free for 2/8, 

 and to whom even* praise is due for republishing so interesting 

 a work, both to the antiquarian and dog fancier, and it is a 

 work that should certainly be in the library of every dog lover* 



We learn from Flemming's introduction that Gesner had 

 used Caius's treatise fully, and there is a capital description 

 of the .mastiff, which runs as follows : 



" Of the mastive or bandogge, called in Latin villaticus or 

 " catenarius ; this kind of dog is vast, huge, stubborn, eager, 

 of a heavy and burdenous body, and therefore but of little 

 " swiftness. Our Englishmen assist 



''nature with art, use, and custom, for they teach these dogs 

 "to bait the bear, etc.'' Cains further mentions that the 

 mastiff " took fast hold with its teeth, and held on beyond all 

 credit." This, together with the fact that the mastiff which 

 fought the lion before James ist, held on to the lion's lip, shows 

 that the mastiff in those days seized and held, that they did not 

 keep chopping, but pinned their victim, like the bulldog. 



Cains also speaks of the mastiff for drawing water, saying : 

 " And these are of the greater and weightier sort, drawing 

 'water out of wells and deep pits by a wheel, which they 

 " turn round-about by the moving of their burdenous bodies. 

 " This kind of dog is called the pack or baggage dog, because 

 with marvellous patience they bear big packages filled with 

 " tinker's tools and metal, for mending porridge pots, etc." 



