Mastiffs
The Asiatic Mastiff spread across Europe through the early trade routes through Eurasia from the Fertile Crescent during the first millenium BC. So this Asiatic Mastiff became the kind of mastiff depicted in ancient Assyrian sculptures pictured. It was this type of dog that probably became the ancestor of the old Molossian dog, the forebear of the Bandog or Mastiff (English). As only the strongest dogs would have survived such conditions and journeys, these earned the reputation of being some of the finest specimens[1].
In subsequent millennia, these large Mastiff type dogs would be developed into a number of other types, each for a specific use. These included not only Livestock Guardian Dogs, but also dogs that were used for hunting with nets (Assyrian Mastiffs pictured), draft dogs that were used to deliver milk etc, as well as strong war dogs that wore spiked collars and were specifically trained for battle.
The Mastiff of England
Students of large Mastiff type dogs believe they were introduced to Britain by adventurous Phoenician traders as early as 600 BC when trading useful metals began. These dogs were the forerunners of the Mastiff (English). By 8 AD it has been recorded that the Molossian dogs of ancient Greece and the 'broad mouthed dogs of Britain' were pitted against one another. Trading of these large dogs between Greece and Britain for the next millenium or so is also well documented [2].
Origin of the Some of the Mastiffs according to Dr Cauis (first written in 1536 AD)
In 1536, Dr. Johannes Cauis named these dogs Mastiffs or Bandogs in his classification that was written in Latin and translated into English by A Fleming in 1576 [3]. The original translation of this important work is in my opinion too difficult to read to be printed in its original form. So it appears here as my interpretation in modern English:
| Interpretation by Jane Harvey | Source Material |
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By these signs and tokens, by these notes and arguments, our men discern the cowardly cur from the courageous dog; the bold from the fearful, the butcherly from the gentle and tractable. Moreover they speculate whether a whelp of an ill kind is not worth the keeping; and that no dog can serve the sundry uses of men so aptly and so conveniently as this sort of whom we have so largely written already.
For if any wish to draw the above-named services into a table, what man more clearly and with a more fierce voice gives warning, either of a wasteful beast or of a spoiling thief, than this? Who by his barking, as good as a burning beacon, foreshows hazards at hand. What manner of beast, stronger? What servant to his master, more loving? What companion more trusty? What Watchman, more vigilant? What Revenger, more constant? What Messenger, more speedy? What Water Bearer, more painful? And finally what Pack Horse, more patient? The Dog Keeper, originating in Rome borrowing his name of his service, for he doth not only keep safe farmers' houses; but also merchants' mansions, wherein great wealth, riches, substance, and costly stuff is reposed. And therefore there were certain dogs found and maintained at the common costs and charges of the citizens of Rome in the place called Capitolium, to give warning of thieves' coming. The Butcher Dog so called for the necessity of his use, for his service is of great benefit to the Butcher; for following his cattle, constraining them or urging them along as required. The Molossus after the name of a country in Epirus (Greece), called Molossia, which harbours many stout, strong, and sturdy dogs of this sort: for the dogs of that country are good indeed, or else there is no trust to be had in the testimonies of writers. The Messenger Dog. Upon substantial consideration, at his master's voice and command, he carries letters from place to place; wrapped up cunningly in his leather collar, fastened, or sewn within. Should he be hindered in his passage, he skillfully resists by fighting or swiftly running away as the dog is unwilling to have someone unbuckle the collar by snatching at his skin. The Mooner Dog. This kind of dog called a Mooner because he wastes the wearisome night season without slumbering or sleeping; baying at the moon which in my opinion is strange to consider The Water Drawer These were large and heavy, drawing water out of wells and deep pits, by a wheel which they turn round as they are fastened to it by a yoke. The Tinker’s Cur (Pack Horse) is so called because, with marvellous patience, they carry big bags filled with tinker's tools and metal meant to mend kettles, porridge-pots, skillets, and other useless goods to trade: easing their masters of great burdens, which otherwise they themselves would carry upon their shoulders. Besides the qualities which we have already recounted, these dogs instinctively love their masters liberally and hate stranger's despitefully. Therefore they are a safeguard to their masters: defending them forcibly from villains and thieves, preserving their lives from loss, their health from hazard, their flesh from attacks by knives or other sharp instruments, and such like desperate dangers. For which consideration they are meritoriously termed. |
Derived from pages 35, 30, 31 and 32 of A. Fleming's 1576 Latin-English Translation[4]
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References and Further Reading
[1] History of the Mastiff, Loxley, 1886, reprinted 1988 by Peregrine Press
[2]Robert Leighton 'The Book of the Dog' published circa 1905 Subscriber's Edition, The Waverley Book Co. Ld Pages 20 - 21 (written by W. K. Taunton in Chapter 1 called 'The English Mastiff')
[3] Dr Johannes Caius 'De Canibus Britannicus (of Englishe Dogges, the Diversities, the Names, the Natures, and the Properties)' pub. 1536 (in Latin). Trans. Abraham Fleming (1576).