58 The Animal-Lore of Shalcsjoeare's Time. 
of his voice put him to flight; his stature must neither he long nor 
short, but well set, his head great, his eyes sharpe, and fiery, either 
browne or grey, his lippes blackish, neither turning up, nor hanging too 
much downe, his mouth black and wide, his neather jawe fat, and 
comming out of it on either side a fang, appearing more outward then 
his other teeth; his upper teeth even with his neather, not hanging too 
much over, sharpe, and hidden with his lippe. His countenance like 
a lion, his brest great and shaghayrd, his shoulders broad, his legges 
bigge, his tayle short, his feet very great; his disposition must neither 
be too gentle, nor too curst, that he neither fawne upon a theefe, nor 
flee upon his friends; very waking, no gadder abroad, not lavish of his 
mouth, barking without cause ; neither maketh it any matter though 
he be not swift: for he is but to fight at home, and to give warning of 
the enemie.” 
Mr. Jesse remarks that although this description is taken 
from a foreign work, it probably gives a correct portrait 
of the mastiff, or rather of the bull-mastiff of the England 
of that period. Shakspeare makes the “ repining enemy ” 
commend the English breed of this variety. Rambures 
admits, “ That island of England breeds very valiant 
creatures; their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage ” 
(Henry F., iii. 7, 150). 
Lyly also writes— 
“ They excel for one thing there [England] dogges of al sortes, 
spaniels, hounds, maistiffes, and divers such, the one they keepe for 
hunting and hawking, the other for necessarie uses about their houses, 
as to draw water, to watch theeves &c., and thereof they derive the 
word mastifife, of mase and thiefe.” (. Euphues , p. 438.) 
Dr. Caius give the mastiff a variety of names: the 
dog-keeper, or watch-dog, from his usefulness in guard¬ 
ing houses; the butcher’s dog, from the help he affords 
to the butcher, both in following and in driving the cattle ; 
the carrier, because he was occasionally employed as a 
messenger with letters carefully sewn up inside his 
collar; the mooner, because he does nothing but watch, 
wasting the wearisome night season without sleeping, 
“ bawing and wawing at the moone; ” the water-drawer, 
because he was made to turn the wheel of the well in court- 
