Of Gentle DOGS serving the Hawk, and first of the SPANIEL, called in Latin, Hispaniolus.
SUch Dogs as serve for fowling, I think convenient 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 kind: and of those which serve for fowling, there be two sorts, the first findeth game on the land, the other findeth game on the water. Such as delight on the land, play their parts, either by swiftness of foot, or by often questing, to search out and to spring the bird for further hope of advantage, or else by some secret sign and privy token bewray the place where they fall. The first kind of such serve the Hawk, the second the net or train. The first kind have no peculiar names assigned unto them, save only that they be denominated after the bird which by natural ap∣pointment he is alotted to take; for the which consideration, some be called Dogs for the Falcon, the Phesant, the Partridge, and such like. The common sort of people call them by one general word, namely Spaniels; as though these kind of Dogs came originally and first of all out of Spain. The most part of their skins are white, and if they be marked with any spots they are commonly red, and somewhat great therewithall, the hairs not growing in such thickness but that the mixture of them may easily be perceived. Othersome of them be reddish and blackish, but of that sort there be but a very few. There is also at this day among us a new kind of Dog brought out of France (for we Englishmen are marvellous greedy gaping gluttons after novelties, and covetous cormorants o•• things that be seldom, rare, strange, and hard to get) and they be speckled all over with white and black, which mingled colours incline to a marble blew, which beautifieth their skins, and affordeth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 seemly show of comeliness. These are called French Dogs, as is above declared already.