CYNEGETICA, I. 466-486 



grass and herbs and flowers wax old and the scent 



of the ■wild beasts remains naked for the hounds. 



There is one vahant breed of tracking dogs, small 

 indeed but as worthy as large dogs to be the theme 

 of song ; bred by the vrild tribes of the painted "» 

 Britons and called by the name of Agassaeus.** Their 

 size is hke that of the weak and greedy domestic 

 table dog ^ : round, very lean, shaggy of hair, dull 

 of eye, it has its feet armed with grievous claws 

 and its mouth sharp \^ith close-set venomous 

 tushes. With its nose especially the Agassian dog 

 is most excellent and in tracking it is best of all ; 

 for it is very clever at finding the track of things 

 that walk the earth but skilful too to mark the airy 

 scent. 



When some hunter desires to make trial of his 

 dogs, he carries in his hands before the high gates 

 a hare, dead or ahve, and walks forward on a de\ious 

 path, now pursuing a straight course, now aslant, 

 left and right t^^'ining his crooked way ; but when 



dubio refluentia ponto Veneris atque ipsos libeat penetrare 

 Britannos? O quanta est merces et quantum impendia 

 supra, Si non ad speciem mentiturosque decores Protinus — 

 haec una est iactura Britannis — At magnum cum venit opus 

 promendaque virtus, Et vocat extreme praeceps discrimine 

 Mavors, Non tunc egregios tantum admirere Molossos. 

 Comparet his versuta suas Athamania fraudes Azorusque 

 Pheraeque et clandestinus Acarnan : Sicut Acarnanes sub- 

 ierunt proelio furto. Sic canis ilia suos taciturna supervenit 

 hostes ; Nemes. 124 f. divisa Britannia mittit Veloces nostri- 

 que orbis venatibus aptos : Claud. Siil. iii. 301 magnaque 

 taurorinn fracturae colla Britannae. 



« Cf. 438; Hom. Od. xvii. 309 where the disguised 

 Odysseus on seeing his old dog Argus remarks : Ka\ds fjLev 

 Seaas iariv, drap roSe y' ov <Ta.<pa oloa, ei or] koX raxi'S ?ctk€ deeiv 

 irl efSei Ti^Sf, fj apTws otoi re Tpairefjjes Kvi'ei dvSpuv yiyvovr'' 

 07X0177* 5' ivenev KOfUovaw dvoicres ; //. xxii. 69 ; xxiii. 173. 



E 49 



