It is amusing to find that the violent abuse of those who keep pet dogs is no new thing. Juvenal, Clement of Alexandria, Plutarch, Lucian, and later Fleming and Harrison are bitter in their denunciation of the practice. Caesar himself made sarcastic remarks on the subject. On the other hand, the dogs had their defenders in Martial, Artemidorus, and AElian. Alcibiades's dog cost 70 mines, 6,640 francs (or £266).

Dog lovers need not, therefore, be too downhearted, as, if pet dogs have survived two thousand seven hundred years, they will probably last our time, in spite of Fr. Vaughan and the newspapers.

The Spaniel exists in Greek art of the remotest archaic period. Acteon, who is usually represented as being attacked by hounds, is on one vase represented with Spaniels, the breed is unmistakable, and has the characteristic Spaniel ear.

The following quotations are of interest, showing that Toy dogs were kept in classical times:1

"Apelles put his hand to his mouth and made an excruciating sort of hissing, which he afterwards declared was Greek. Trimalchio, not to be outdone, made a noise like that of a trumpet and beckoned to his page, whom he called Croesus. The boy, a blear-eyed creature with horridly decayed teeth, was wrapping up a little black she-dog, disgustingly fat, in a green scarf, and was cramming her with a half-loaf which he had placed on the couch and which she, already satiated, was turning from with loathing. This put into Trimalchio's head the idea of sending for Scylax, his watchdog. The latter was very promptly brought in. He was a big dog with a chain round his neck. In answer to a kick from the doorkeeper this animal lay down in front of the table. Then Trimalchio threw him a piece of white bread, saying, 'No one in this house loves me better than this dog.'

1Petronias Arbiter, The Satyr. Section 64 - part of "Trimalchio's Banquet" - about 54 a.d. Edited by Franciscus Bucheler, Berlin, 1904. .

"The boy, angry that such extravagant praise was bestowed on Scylax, put the little lap-dog on the ground and egged her on to fight. Scylax, as big dogs are wont to do, filled the dining-hall with a terrific barking and nearly tore Croesus's treasure to pieces. A quarrelsome uproar arose, and a candelabrum was upset over the table, and all the crystal vases were smashed, so that several of the feasters were splashed with scalding oil. Trimalchio did not seem to be disturbed at the overthrow, but kissed the boy and told him to ride pick-aback, and in a trice the boy, quite used to this performance, was slapping his master's shoulders over and over again with his palms and calling out, with a laugh, 'Bucco, bucco, how many are there here?'"

The following poem is a condemnation of women, and was written by Juvenal as a warning to a friend against marriage: "Women see Alcestis on the stage sacrificing her life for her husband, but if they were in the like situation they would not do the same. Indeed, they would purchase the life of a favourite dog by the death of their husband."1

My translator writes that the subject of the following satire by Juvenal is very unpleasant, and would nowadays receive only a technical treatment in a medical book.1 Naevolus is complaining of the meanness of his rich patron and says:

"What difference would it make to you to present a few acres to your worn-out pander? I suppose you prefer to leave your farms, with the slaves belonging to them, the country child and his mother, with his playmate, the little dog, and the huts they live in - to some other friend of yours, some shameful, cymbal-beating priest of Cybele."

1 Juvenal, Satire VI, lines (652-654) (75 ad).

"If Flaccus 2 takes pleasure in a fox-eared owl; if Canius delights in a dun-coloured AEthiopian; if Publius has given his heart to a tiny little dog; 3 if Cronius favours a monkey like himself; if Marius likes a mischievous ichneumon; if you, Lausus, are pleased with a mag-pie that says 'How do you do' and 'Good morning'; if Glancilla winds an ice-cold snake round her neck; if Telesina has assigned a tomb to her nightingale; why should not he who sees such extraordinary things give pleasure to his superiors, be enamoured of the winsome face of Labycae, who inspires love ?"

"If you would learn the charms of the little dog a whole page would be all too short for the tale." 4

A letter written by Arethusa to Lycotas at the Wars.5

"A dull silence reigns here. Hardly does a single maid open the locked temple of the hearth-gods, as the custom is one on the first day of the month, which comes round so seldom. The voice of my little dog Glaucus whining is pleasing to me. She alone claims your place in my bed."

1 D. J. Juvenalis, Satire IX, with notes, edited by C. F. Heinrich, Rome, 1839, with the help of the edition issued, with notes and English translation by J. D. Lewis, in London in 1882.

2 Martial, Epigrams, about 58 a.d., Book VII, No. 87.

3 See the epigram on Issa. 4 Book XIV, No. 98.

5Propertius, Book IV, Elegy III, lines 53-56. About 68 A.D.

To summarise: The Comforter of 1552 was the name applied to the pet dog of that time whose identity is uncertain. The Italian and French Toy Spaniels still exist on the Continent as Papillons.

The Toy red-and-white Spaniel, being the Chinese and Italian Toy Spaniel, has no right to the name of Blenheim, but he is the true red-and-white Toy Spaniel. By this I do not mean that the red-and-white Toy Spaniel is descended from what we now call the Pekingese, but that he is descended from the red-and-white Chinese ancestor.

The Tricolour was originally a cross between the black-and-white French Toy Spaniel and the red-and-white Italian Toy Spaniel; both these varieties have been termed Carpet Spaniels. The modern Tricolour is a double cross with a Blenheim and King Charles.

The Black-and-tan has no right to be called the King Charles, as King Charles II apparently never had a black-and-tan dog at all. It is a cross between the all black curly Toy Spaniel, originally called the King Charles, and the short-haired English Pyrame, which was a small gun Spaniel generally black-and-tan in colour.