128 THE MASTIFF FROM ELIZABETH'S REIGN. 



The Stuarts appear to have been thorough mastiff admirers. 

 Edmund Howes (in his continuation of Stow's Annals, 

 published in 1615, and again in 1631) narrates the circum- 

 stance of the lion baited at the Tower of London with three 

 mastiffs (brought from the bear garden) On Mar,ch i3th, 1604, 

 before King James, his Queen, and Henry, Prince of Wales ; 

 and it was Prince Henry who is stated to have said of the 

 mastiff which then worsted the lion: "He that had fought 

 the king of beasts should never fight a meaner creature." I 

 have given these dates as a modern writer on the mastiff has 

 incorrectly stated that it was Charles ist who made this 

 speech, but as Charles was born only in 1600, he was at the 

 time a mere child of about four years old, but of this misstate- 

 ment more hereafter. In 1621 about, James ist prohibited 

 bear baitings on Sundays, in his Book of Sports. 1 625 brought 

 Charles ist to the throne, and like his father and brother he was 

 a good sportsman, and fond of dogs. We find him advertising 

 through the press for " a bob tailed, cropped eared, black- 

 mastiff," which had strayed from the Royal kennel. James 

 ist gave little encouragement to painting, but Charles ist 

 among setting on foot other benefits to England, tried to 

 introduce a love for painting and fine art generally, and 

 owing to his patronage, he has bequeathed to us one portrait 

 of a mastiff in his reign; for in 1638 about, Vandyck made a 

 painting of the children of Charles ist, together with a large 

 and somewhat mastiff-like dog. From the children's statue 

 it is easy to discern at once that the dog was of vast size, he 

 seems to have been a deep red fawn, with the usual white on 

 the face and legs, his ears were cropped somewhat roughly, 

 and not so close as in most instances. This dog appears to 

 have been a court favourite, as there is another portrait of 

 its head, introduced by Vandyck, by the side of Killegrcw. 



