Natural Hiflory of the Ancients. 35 



Vertagus is faid to be a Keltic word, though it 

 fomewhat fuggefts verto as its root, a dog which, 

 like a greyhound and retriever combined, would 

 purfue the windings of the hare's terrified flight, 

 and then return when it had fnapped up its prey, 

 carrying it to its matter. The molojfus or maftiff 

 was a word foon ufed in a much wider fenfe than 

 its primitive meaning, (a dog belonging to the 

 Molofli), warranted. Virgil's 



" Veloces Spartae catulos acremque moloffum " 



(Georgia, iii. 405) 



is an inftance of fuch ufe, while the other, the 

 Laconian dogs, have not been forgotten by our 

 own Shakefpeare : 



" My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind." 



(Midsummer Night's Dream.") 



And he goes on to fpeak of their " tuneful cry," 

 reminding us of Walton's enthufiaftic words : 

 " What mufic doth a pack of hounds then make 

 to any man, whofe heart and ears are fo happy 

 as to be fet to the tune of fuch inftruments !" 

 ("Compleat Angler," i. i.) 



Holinmed 1 inferts a curious chapter "of 

 our Englifh dogs and their qualities " in his 

 "Chronicles." "There is no countrie," he fays, 

 " that maie compare with ours in number, ex- 

 cellencie, and diverfitie of dogs." Of all who 

 have praifed thefe creatures, Garden writes moft 

 marvels of them ; " who is not afraid to compare 

 fome of them for greatnefTe with oxen, and fome 



1 "Chronicles" (six vols., 1807), vol. i. 386. 



