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 gentle Dogges seruing the hauke, and first of the Spaniell, called in Latine Hispaniolus.

SVch Dogs as serue for fowling, I thinke conuenient and requisite to place in the second Section of this treatise. These are also to be reckoned and accounted in the number of the Dogs which come of a gentle kinde, and of those which serue for fowling, there be two sorts, The first findeth game on the land, the other findeth game [ 30] on the water. Such as delight on the land, play their parts, either by swiftnesse of foot, or by often questing, to search out and to spring the bird for further hope of aduantage, or else by some secret signe and priuy token bewray the place where they fall. The first kind of such serue the Hauke, the second, the net, or, traine, The first kind haue no peculiar names assigned vnto them, saue onely that they be denominated after the birde which by naturall appointment he is alotted to take; for the which consideration, some bee called dogs for the Falcon, the Phesant, the Partridge, and such like. The common sort of people call them by one ge∣neral word, namely Spaniels. As though these kind of dogs came originally and first of al out of Spaine. The most part of their skins are white, and if they be marked with any spots [ 40] they are commonly red, and somewhat great therewithall, the haires not growing in such thicknes but that the mixture of them may easily be perceiued. Othersome of them be reddish and blackish, but of that sort there be but a very few. There is also at this day a∣mong vs a new kinde of Dog brought out of France (for we Englishmen are marueilous greedy gaping gluttons after nouelties, and couetous cormorants of thinges that be sel∣dome, rare, strange, and hard to get.) And they be speckled al ouer with white and black, which mingled colours incline to a marble blew, which beautifieth their skins and affoor∣deth a seemely show of comlinesse. These are called French dogs as is aboue declared al∣ready.