34 Gleanings from the 



convenient leifure which wee obtaine, both which 

 the Scottes want.'* 



Narrowing our investigations to the dogs of 

 our own land, the next information which we 

 obtain comes from Art. Dogs are frequently found 

 reprefented on the Romano-Keltic pottery of 

 England, efpecially on Durobrivan ware. Thefe 

 dogs commonly fall under one of two types ; 

 they are large and fierce, like our prefent bull- 

 dogs and maftiffs; or they refemble a fleet, 

 flender hunting-dog, fuch as our greyhound. By 

 comparifon of the forms ftill remaining at the 

 different mufeums on pieces of pottery, fome par- 

 ticulars might be obtained refpecting the various 

 breeds of the early Britifh dog, if we could be 

 fure that the artift did not ufe conventional or 

 imaginary types of dog-life. At this point, too, 

 the well-known pafTages in the claflics which refer 

 to the excellence of Englim dogs come in. The 

 larger and fiercer kinds were much employed both 

 by the Roman fojourners in Britain and their 

 countrymen at home in chafing the wild boar. 

 Shepherd-dogs, too, may have been needed to 

 tend the "magnus numerus pecorum" of which 

 Caefar fpeaks in our ifland. The luxury of the 

 Roman capital at York would alfo be almoft 

 certain to demand the fmaller breed for pets. 

 Even in the Homeric times Kings kept them 

 ("OdyfTey," xvii. 309). Britifh maftiffs were 

 much celebrated amongft the ancients. Martial 

 fays of another kind (xiv. 200): 



" Non fibi fed domino venatur vertagus acer, 

 Illsesum leporem qui tibi dente feret." 



