Having thus far proceeded in our discourse, I cannot
think it well done to pass by the cunning of the fox, by
reason of the similitude it has with the former. The
mythologists tell us that the dove which Deucalion sent
out of his ark, returning back again, was to him a certain
sign of the storm not ceased; but of serene and fair
weather, when she flew quite away. But the Thracians
to this day, when they design to pass a river that is frozen
over, make use of a fox to try whether the ice will bear or
no. For the fox, treading gently, lays his ear to the ice,
and if he perceive by the noise of the water that the stream
runs very close underneath, conjecturing from thence that
the congelation is not deep but thin, and no way steadfastly
solid, he makes a stop, and if he be suffered, returns back
again; but if he perceive no noise, he goes on boldly.
Nor can we say that this is only an exquisiteness of sense
without reason; but it is a syllogistical deduction from
sense, concluding that whatever makes a noise is moved;
whatever is moved, cannot be frozen; what is not frozen,
is moist; what is moist, gives way. The logicians say
that a dog, making use of the argument drawn from many
disjunctive propositions, thus reasons with himself, in places
where several highways meet: Either the wild beast is
[p. 180]
gone this way, or that, or that way; but not that way, nor
that way, therefore this way: the force of sense affording
nothing but the minor premise, but the force of reason
affording the major proposition, and inferring the conclusion
of the assumption. But a dog stands in no need of any
such testimonial; in regard it is both false and adulterate.
For sense itself shows which way the beast is fled, by his
tracks and footsteps, bidding farewell to disjunctive and
copulative propositions. The nature of dogs is palpably
to be discerned by many other actions, affections, and dutiful service, neither the effects of hearing or seeing, but
practicable only by reason and understanding. It would
be ridiculous for me to discourse of the continence, obedience, and industry of dogs in hunting, to you that are so
well confirmed in the knowledge of those things by daily
experience and practice.
There was a Roman named Calvus, slain in the civil
wars, whose head nobody durst cut off before they killed
the dog that guarded his body and fought in defence of
his master. It happened that King Pyrrhus, travelling
one day, lit upon a dog watching over the carcass of
a person slain; and hearing that the dog had been there
three days without meat or drink, yet would not forsake
his dead master, ordered that the man should be buried,
but that the dog should be preserved and brought to him.
A few days after, there was a muster of the soldiers, so
that they were forced to march all in order by the king,
with the dog quietly lying by him for a good while. But
when he saw the murderers of his master pass by him, he
flew upon them with a more than ordinary fury, barking
and baying and tearing his throat, and ever and anon turning about to the king; which did not only rouse the king's
suspicion, but the jealousy of all that stood about him.
Upon which the men were presently apprehended; and
though the circumstances were very slight which otherwise
[p. 181]
appeared against them, yet they confessed the fact and
were executed.
The same thing is reported to have been done by a dog
that belonged to Hesiod, surnamed the wise, which discovered the sons of Ganyctor the Naupactian, by whom
Hesiod was murdered. But that which came to the knowledge of our parents, when they were students at Athens,
is yet more evident than any thing we have said. For a
certain person getting into the temple of Aesculapius,
after he had stolen all the massy offerings of gold and
silver, made his escape, not believing he was discovered.
But the dog which belonged to the temple, who was called
Capparus, when he found that none of the sacristans
took any notice of his barking, pursued himself the sacrilegious thief; and though at first the fellow pelted him
with stones, he could not beat him off. So soon as it was
day, the dog still followed him, though at such a distance
that he always kept him in his eyes. When the fellow
threw him meat he refused it; when the thief went to bed,
the dog watched at his door; and when he rose in the
morning, the dog still followed him, fawning upon the
passengers on the road, but still barking and baying at
the heels of the thief. These things when they who were
in pursuit of the sacrilegious person heard, and were told
withal by those they met the color and bigness of the dog,
they were the more vigorous in the pursuit; and by that
means overtaking the thief, brought him back from Crommyon, while the dog ran before, leaping and capering and
full of joy, as it were challenging to himself the praise and
reward of apprehending the temple-robber. And indeed
the Athenians were so grateful to him, that they decreed
him such a quantity of meat to be publicly measured to
him, and ordered the priests to take care to see it done; in
imitation of the kindness of the ancient Athenians in rewarding the mule.
[p. 182]
For when Pericles built the temple Hecatompedon (or
Parthenon) in the tower of Athens, it so fell out that the
stones were to be fetched every day many furlongs off, and
a world of carriages were made use of for that purpose.
Among the rest of the mules that labored hard in this employment, there was one that, though dismissed by reason
of age, would still go down to the Ceramicus, and meeting
the carts that brought the stones, would be always in their
company running by their sides, as it were by the way of
encouragement and to excite them to work cheerfully. So
that the people, admiring the zeal of the mule, ordered
him to be fed at the public charge, as they were wont to
decree public alms to the superannuated wrestlers.
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