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THE SECOND BOOKE 175
not a little at the effect, which is ordinary amongst
us; and that is, the dogs which blind men use, both
in Citie and Country: I have observed how sodainly
they will stop when they come before some doores where
they are wont to receive almes : how carefully they
will avoyd the shocke of Carts and Coaches, even when
they have roome enough to passe by them selves. I
have seene some going along a Towne-ditch leave a
plaine and even path and take a worse, that so they
might draw their Master from the ditch. How could
a man make the dog conceive his charge was only to
looke to his masters safetie, and for his service to
despise his owne commoditie and good? And how
should he have the knowledge that such a path would
be broade enough for him, but not for a blind man ?
Can all this be conceived without reason ? We must
not forget what Plutarke affirmeth to have seene a dog
in Rome doe before the Emperour Vespasian the father
in the Theatre of Marcellus. This Dog served a jugler,
who was to play a fiction of many iaces and sundry
countenances, where he also was to act a part. Amongst
other things he was for a long while to counterfeit and
faine himself dead, because he had eaten of a certain
drugge : having swallowed a piece of bread, which was
supposed to be the drug, he began sodainly to stagger
and shake as if he had beene giddie, then stretching
and laying himselfe along as stiffe as if hee were starke
dead, suffered himself to be dragged and haled from
one place to another, according to the subject and plot
of the play, and when he knew his time, first he began
feire and softly to stirre, as if he were roused out of a
dead slumber, then lifting up his head hee looked and
stared so gastly that all the by-standers were amazed.
The Oxen, which in the Kings gardens of Susa were
taught to water them and to draw water out of deepe
wells, turned certaine great wheeles, to which were
fastned great buckets (as in many places of Languedoke
is commonly seene) and being every one appoynted to
draw just a hundred turnes a day, they were so accustomed
to that number as it was impossible by any