The historie of foure-footed beastes Describing the true and liuely figure of euery beast, with a discourse of their seuerall names, conditions, kindes, vertues (both naturall and medicinall) countries of their breed, their loue and hate to mankinde, and the wonderfull worke of God in their creation, preseruation, and destruction. Necessary for all diuines and students, because the story of euery beast is amplified with narrations out of Scriptures, fathers, phylosophers, physitians, and poets: wherein are declared diuers hyerogliphicks, emblems, epigrams, and other good histories, collected out of all the volumes of Conradus Gesner, and all other writers to this present day. By Edward Topsell.

Of the Dogge called the Grey-hound, in La∣tine Leporarius.

WE haue another kind of dog, which for his incredible swiftnes is called Leporarius a Grey-hound, because the principall seruice of them de∣pendeth and consisteth in starting and hunting the Hare, which Dogs likewise [ 50] are indued with no lesse strength then lightnes in maintenance of the game, in seruing the chase, in taking the Bucke, the Hart, the Doe, the Fox, and other beasts of semblable kind ordaind for the game of hunting. But more or lesse, each one according to the measure and proportion of their desire, and as might and hability of their bodies will permit and suffer.

For it is a spare and bare kind of Dog, (of flesh but not of bone) some are of a greater sort, and some of a lesser, some are smooth skinned, and some are curled, the bigger therefore are appointed to hunt the bigger Beasts, and the smaller serue to hunt the smal∣ler accordingly. The nature of the Dogges I finde to be wonderfull by the testimony of all histories. For, as Iohn Froisart the historiographer in his 4. lib. reporteth. A Greyhound of King Richard, the second that wore the Crowne, and bare the Scepter of the realme of England, neuer knowing any man, beside the kings person, when Henry Duke of Lancaster came to the castle of Flinte to take king Richard, the Dog forsaking his former Lord and maister came to Duke Henry, fawned vpon him with such resemblances of goodwill and conceiued affection, as he fauoured king Richard before: he followed the Duke, and vtter∣ly [ 10] left the King. So that by these manifest circūstances a man might iudge his Dog to haue beene lightened with the lampe of foreknowledge and vnderstanding, touching his old maisters miseries to come, and vnhappines nie at hand, which king Richard himselfe eui∣dently perceiued, accounting this deede of his dog a Prophecy of his ouerthrow.