e to have said
thus much thereof. Some of our mastiffs will rage only in the night,
some are to be tied up both day and night. Such also as are suffered
to go loose about the house and yard are so gentle in the daytime that
children may ride on their backs and play with them at their
pleasures. Divers of them likewise are of such jealousy over their
master and whosoever of his household, that if a stranger do embrace
or touch any of them, they will fall fiercely upon them, unto their
extreme mischief if their fury be not prevented. Such a one was the
dog of Nichomedes, king sometime of Bithynia, who seeing Consigne the
queen to embrace and kiss her husband as they walked together in a
garden, did tear her all to pieces, maugre his resistance and the
present aid of such as attended on them. Some of them moreover will
suffer a stranger to come in and walk about the house or yard where he
listeth, without giving over to follow him: but if he put forth his
hand to touch anything, then will they fly upon them and kill them if
they may. I had one myself once, which would not suffer any man to
bring in his weapon further than my gate: neither those that were of
my house to be touched in his presence. Or if I had beaten any of my
children, he would gently have essayed to catch the rod in his teeth
and take it out of my hand or else pluck down their clothes to save
them from the stripes: which in my opinion is not unworthy to be
noted.

The last sort of dogs consisteth of the currish kind meet for many
toys, of which the whappet or prick-eared cur is one. Some men call
them warners, because they are good for nothing else but to bark and
give warning when anybody doth stir or lie in wait about the house in
the night season. Certes it is impossible to describe these curs in
any order, because they have no one kind proper unto themselves, but
are a confused company mixed of all the rest. The second sort of them
are called turnspits, whose office is not unknown to any. And as these
are only reserved for this purpose, so in many places our mastiffs
(beside the use which tinkers have of them in carrying their heavy
budgets) are made to draw water in great wheels out of deep wells,
going much like unto those which are framed for our turnspits, as is
to be seen at Roiston, where this feat is often practised. Besides
these also we have sholts or curs daily brought out of Ireland, and
made much of among us, because of their sauciness and