THE GREYHOUNDS. 167 



ing with these ancient dogs was still kept up by 

 Queen Elizabeth, who witnessed, anno 1591, from 

 her stand at Cowdray, in Sussex, the seat of Lord 

 Montacute, no less than sixteen deer, all having 

 fair law (that is, the start in advance to a certain 

 distance), torn do^vn and mangled by fierce hounds, 

 for her amusement ! But after the religious and 

 civil wars of the succeeding reigns, the breed of 

 smooth hovinds became the more fashionable ; and, 

 with the improvements in fire-arms, and the exten- 

 sion of cultivation, hunting-hounds and gun -dogs 

 gradually acquired their present share of favour. 



We have aheady remarked, that the rough grey- 

 hounds in particular are less personally attached to 

 their masters than other races : ancient chroniclers 

 relate several instances of their abandoning one to 

 follow another, and being liable to take sudden of- 

 fence. They have been known to attack those who 

 meant to halloo them on after game ; this hap- 

 pened, not many years ago, to the Rajah of Bahar, 

 whose dogs turned from a jackal upon him, and he 

 escaped from them only by dashing with his horse 

 into the water.* They are also liable, if left to their 

 own^scretion, to destroy sheep, and show other 

 manis of little docility. 



Beginning with the rough-haired breeds, we find 

 in the East 



* See Dr. Daniel Johnson's Sketches of Field Sports. See 

 also in Froissart, the greyhound that quitted King Richard II. 

 to join and fawn upon Henry of Lancaster ; a poUtical false- 

 hood not even original, but intended to persuade the public that 

 heaven, and not his ambition, made liim claim the crown. 



