Englijhe Dogges. 31 



silence and dead time of the night, or in stormy weather of the sayde 

 season, the older dogges barcke, ball, howle, and yell (yea notwithstandyng 

 they bee roughly rated) neyther will they stay their tounges till the 

 honseholde seraaimtes awake, ryse, search, and see the burning of the 

 fyre, which beyng perceaued they Tse voluntary silence, and cease from 

 yolping This hath bene, and is founde true by tryall, in sundry 

 partes of England. There was no faynting faith in that Dogge, which 

 when his Master by a mischaunce in hunting stumbled and feU toppling 

 downe a deepe dytche beyng vnable to recouer of himselfe, the Dogge 

 signifying his masters mishappe, reskue came, and he was hayled up by a 

 rope, whom the Dogge seeying almost drawne up to the edge of the dytche, 

 cheerefully saluted, leaping and skipping ypon his master as though he 

 woulde haue imbraced hym, beyng glad of his presence, whose longer 

 absence he was lothe to lacke. Some Dogges there be, which will not 

 suffer fyery coales to lye skattered about the hearthe, but with their 

 pawes wil rake up the burnyng coale?, musying and studying fyrst with 

 themselues how it might be conueniently be done. And if so bee that 

 the coales caste to great a heate then will they buyry them in ashes 

 and so remoue them forwarde to a fyt place wyth theyr noses. Other 

 Dogges bee there which esequute the office of a Farmer in the nyghte 

 tyme. For when his master goeth to bedde to take his naturall sleepe, 

 And when, 



A hundred barres of brasse and jTon boltes, 

 IMake all things safe from startes and from reuoltes. 

 When lanus keepes the gate wath Argos eye. 

 That daungers none approch, ne mischiefes nye. 



As Virgin yaunteth in his verses. Then if his master byddeth him go 

 abroade, he lingereth not, but raungeth ouer all his lands lying there 

 about, more diligently, I wys, then any farmer himselfe. And if he finde 

 anything their that is straunge and pertaining to other persons besides 



