112 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. 



The disposition of the Mastiff is characterized by courage, 

 generosity, and forbearance : even the midnight marauder 

 will be held by him uninjured, until human aid arrives, pro- 

 vided he refrain from struggle or resistance. The attacks 

 of puny antagonists are despised ; but if they become intoler 

 able, the noble Mastiff is satisfied with showing his contempt, 

 or inflicting chastisement of rather a humiliating than a pain- 

 ful nature. The story 'of the Mastiff that, when greatly an- 

 noyed by the incessant barking of a little cur, took him by the 

 back of the neck, and dropped him over a quay wall into the 

 river, is well known ; but I recollect an instance of this na- 

 ture, when the Mastiff, standing for a moment contemplating 

 the struggles of his late tormenter, and perceiving that the cur- 

 rent was likely to carry him away, actually sprang into the 

 water, and rescued him from his dangerous position. 



Henry VII. ordered a Mastiff to be hanged, because he had 

 singly coped with and overcome a lion ! And in the reign of 

 Queen Elizabeth, when Lord Buckhurst was ambassador at 

 the court of Charles IX., a Mastiff is said to have, alone and 

 unassisted, successively engaged a bear, a leopard, and a li- 

 on, and pulled them all down. Stow relates an engagement 

 which took place, in the reign of James I., between three mas- 

 tiffs and a lion. One of the dogs being put into the den, was 

 soon disabled by the lion, who took him by the head and 

 neck, and dragged him about. Another dog was next let 

 loose, which shared the same fate ; but the third, on being 

 put in, immediately seized the lion by the lip, and held him 

 for a considerable time, till being severely torn by his claws, 

 the dog was obliged to quit his hold ; and the lion, greatly ex- 

 hausted by the conflict, refused to renew the engagement, but 

 taking a sudden leap over the dogs, fled into the interior part 

 of his den. Two of the dogs soon died of their wounds : but 

 the third recovered, and was taken care of by the king's son, 

 who said, " He that had fought with the king of beasts should 

 never after fight with any inferior creature" a far nobler 

 determination than that arrived at by the usurper, Henry 

 VII., as already detailed. 



The English Mastiff is now very rare, even more so than 

 that of the Alps. He was in high esteem formerly as a 

 watch-dog, but is now generally superseded in that duty by 

 the Newfoundland, who is more than competent to supply hi* 

 place. 



