CHAPTER XLIV 

 THE KING CHARLES SPANIELS 



IN the fourth chapter of Macaulay's History of England 

 we read of King Charles II. that " he might be seen before the 

 dew was off the grass in St. James's Park, striding among the 

 trees playing with his Spaniels and flinging corn to his ducks, 

 and these exhibitions endeared him to the common people, 

 who always like to see the great unbend." 



Queen Elizabeth's physician, Dr. Caius, described these 

 little Spaniels as " delicate, neate, and pretty kind of dogges, 

 called the Spaniel gentle or the comforter," and further said : 

 " These dogges are little, pretty, proper, and fyne, and sought 

 for to satisfie the delicatenesse of daintie dames and wanton 

 women's wills, instruments of folly for them to play and dally 

 withall, to tryfle away the treasure of time, to withdraw their 

 mindes from their commendable exercises. These puppies the 

 smaller they be, the more pleasure they provoke as more meete 

 playfellowes for minsing mistrisses to beare in their bosoms, 

 to keepe company withall in their chambers, to succour with 

 sleepe in bed, and nourishe with meate at board, to lie in their 

 lappes, and licke their lippes as they ryde in their waggons, 

 and good reason it should be so, for coursenesse with fynenesse 

 hath no fellowship, but featnesse with neatnesse hath neigh- 

 bourhood enough." 



There would appear to be much divergence of opinion 

 as to the origin of this breed, and the date of its first appear- 

 ance in England, but it was certainly acclimatised here 

 as early as the reign of Henry VIII., and it is generally thought 

 that it is of Japanese origin, taken from Japan to Spain by 



278 



