A dog of vvar, or, The trauels of Drunkard, the famous curre of the Round-Woolstaple in Westminster His seruices in the Netherlands, and lately in France, with his home returne. By Iohn Taylor. The argument and contents of this discourse is in the next page or leafe.

A Dogge of Warre . STand cleare my masters ware your shinns , For now to Barke my Muse Begins , 'T is of a Dogg I write now : Yet let me tell you for excuse , That Muse or Dogg , or Dogg or Muse , Haue no entent to Bite now . In doggrell Rimes my Lines are writt , As for a Dogg I thought it fitt . And fitting Best his Carkas , Had I beene silent as a Stoick , Or had I writt in Verse Heroick , Then had I beene a Starke Asse . Old Homer wrot of Froggs and Mice , And Rablaies wrot of Nitts and Lice , And Virgil of A Flye , One wrot the Treatise of the Foxe Another praisd the Frenchmans Pox Whose praise was but a Lye . Great Alexander had a Horse , A famous Beast of mighty force Y cleap'd Bucephalus : He was a stout and sturdy Steed , And of an ex'lent Race and Breed , But that concerns not vs . I list not write the bable praise Of Apes , or Owles , or Popinjaies . Or of the Catt Grimmalkin , But of a true and trusty Dogg , Who well could faune , but neuer cogg , His praise my Pen must walke in . And Drunkard he is falsly nam'd , For with that Vice he ne're was blam'd , For he loues not god Bacchus : The Kitchin he esteeme more deere , Then Cellers full of Wine or Beere , Which oftentimes doth wracke vs . He is no Mastiffe , huge of lim , Or Waterspaniell , that can swim , Nor Bloudhound or no Setter : No Bobtayle Tyke , or Trundle raile , Nor can he Partridge spring or Quaile , But yet he is much better . No Daynty Ladies sifting Hound , That liue's vpon our Britaine Ground No Mungrell Cur or Shogh : Should Litters , or whole Kennells dare With honest Drunkard to compare , My pen writes , marry fough . The Otter Hound , the Foxe Hound , nor The swift foote Grey hound car'd he for , Nor Cerberus Hells Bandog ; His seruice prooues them Curres and Tikes , And his renowne a terror strikes . In Water dog and Land dog ; Gainst braue Buquoy , or stout Dampiere , He durst haue bark'd withouten feare Or 'gainst the hot Count Tylly : At Bergin Laguer and Bredha , Against the Noble Spinola , He shewd himselfe not silly . He seru'd his Master at commands , In the most warlike Netherlands , In Holland , Zealand , Brabant , He to him still was true and iust , And if his fare were but a Crust , He patiently would knab on 't . He durst t' haue stood sterne Aiax frowne , When wise Vlisses talk'd him downe , In graue Diebus illis , When he by cunning prating woon The Armour , from fierce Tellamon , That longed to Achilles : Braue Drunkard , oft on Gods deere ground , Tooke such poore lodging as he found , In Towne , Feild , Campe or Cottage , His Bed but cold , his dyet thin , He oft in that poore case was in , To want both Meate and Pottage . Two rowes of Teeth for Armes he bore , Which in his mouth he alwaies wore , Which seru'd to fight and feed to : His grumbling for his Drum did passe , And barking ( lowd ) his Ordnance was , Which help'd in time of need to . His Tayle his Ensigne he did make , Which he would oft display , and shake , Fast in his Poope vpreared : His Powder hot , but somewhat danke , His Shot in ( sent ) most dangerous ranke , Which sometimes made him feared : Thus hath he long seru'd neere and farr , Well known to be A Dog of Warr , Though he ne're shot with Musket ; Yet Cannons roare , or Culuerings , That whizzing through the Welk in sings , He slighted as a Pusse Cat For Guns nor Drums , nor Trumpets clang , Nor hunger , cold , nor many a pang , Could make him leaue his Master : In ioy , and in aduersity In plenty , and in pouerty , He often was a Taster . Thus seru'd he on the Belgia Coast , Yet nere was heard to brag or boast , Of seruices don by him : He is no Pharisey to blow A Trumpet , his good deeds to show , T' is pitty to bely him . At last he home return'd in peace , Till warrs , and iarrs , and scarrs encrease Twixt vs , and France , in malice : Away went he and crost the Sea , With 's Master , to the Isle of Rhea , A good way beyond Callice . He was so true , so good , so kind , He scorn'd to stay at home behinde , And leaue his Master frustrate ; For which , could I like Ouid write , Or else like Virgill could endite , I would his praise illustrate . I wish my hands could neuer stirre , But I doe loue a thankefull Curre More then a Man ingratefull : And this poore Doggs fidelitie , May make a thankles Knaue descry How much that vice is hatefull . For why ? of all the faults of Men , Which they haue got from Hells black den , Ingratitude the worst is : For treasons , murthers , incests , rapes , Nor any sinne in any shapes , So bad , nor so accurst is . I hope I shall no anger gaine , If I doe write a word or twaine , How this Dogge was distressed : His Master being wounded dead , Shot , cut , and slash'd , from heele to head , Thinke how he was opressed . To lose him that he loued most , And be vpon a forreigne Coast , Where no man would Releiue him : He lick'd his Masters wounds in loue , And from his Carkas would not moue , Although the fight did grieue him . By chaunce a Soldier passing by , That did his Masters Coate espy . And quick away he tooke it ; But Drunkard followed to a Boate , To haue againe his Masters Coate , Such theft he could not brooke it . So after all his woe and wrack , To Westminster he was brought back , A poore halfe starued Creature ; And in remembrance of his cares , Vpon his back he closely weares A Mourning Coate by nature . Liue Drunkard , sober Drunkard liue , I know thou no offence wilt giue , Thou art a harmeles dumb thing ; And for thy loue I 'le freely grant , Rather then thou shouldst euer want , Each day to giue thee somthing . For thou hast got a good report , Of which ther 's many a Dog comes short , And very few Men gaine it ; Though they all dangers brauely bide , And watch , fast , fight , runne , goe and ride , Yet hardly they Attaine it . Some like Dominicall Letters goe , In Scarlet from the top to toe , Whose vallour's talke and smooke all . Who make , ( God sink'em ) their discourse , Refuse , Renounce , or Dam , that 's worse , I wish a halter Choake all . Yet all their talke is Bastinado , Strong Armado Hot Scalado , Smoaking Trinidado . Of Canuasado , Pallizado , Of the secret Ambuscado , Boasting with Brauado . If Swearing could but make a Man , Then each of these is one that can With Oathes , an Army scatter : If Oathes could conquer Fort , or Hold , Then I presume these Gallants could With Braggs , a Castle batter . Let such but thinke on Drunkards fame , And note therewith their merits blame , How both are vniuersall ; Then would such Coxcombs blush to see They by a Dog outstrip'd should be , Whose praise is worth rehersall . The times now full of danger are , And we are round ingadg'd in warre , Our Foes would faine distresse vs : Yet many a stubborne mizer knaue , Will giue no Coyne his Throat to saue , If he were stor'd like Cressus . These hidebound Varlets , worse then Turks , Top full with Faith , but no Good workes , A crew of fond Precise-men ; In factions , and in emulation , Caterpillers of a Nation , Whom few esteeme for wise men . But leauing such to mend , or end : Back to the Dogge my Verse doth bend , Whose worth , the subiect mine is : Though thou a doggs life here dost leade , Let not a doggs death strike thee dead , And make thy fatall Finis . Thou shalt be Stellifide by me , I 'le make the Dog-star wayte on thee , And in his roome I 'le seate thee : When Soll doth in his Progresse swindge , And in the Dog-daies hotly sindge , He shall not ouer heate thee . So honest Drunkard now adue , Thy praise no longer I 'le pursue , But still my loue is to thee : And when thy life is gon and spent , These Lines shall be thy Monument , And shall much seruice doe thee . I lou'd thy Master , so did all That euer knew him , great and small , And he did well deserue it : For he was honest , valient , good , And one that manhood vnderstood , And did till death preserue it . For whose sake , I 'le his Dog prefer , And at the Dogge at Westminster Shall Drunkard be a Bencher ; Where I will set a worke his chapps , Not with bare bones , or broken scapps , But Victualls from my Trencher . All those my Lines that Ill digest , Or madly doe my meaning wrest , In malice , or derision : Kinde Drunkard , preethee bite them all , And make them reele from wall to wall , With Wine , or Maults incision . I know when foes did fight or parle , Thou valiantly wouldst grin and snarle , Against an Army aduerse ; Which made me bold , with rustick Pen Stray here and there , and back agen , To blaze thy fame in mad Verse . It was no Auaritious scope , Or flattry , or the windy hope Of any fee , or stipend : For none , nor yet for all of these , But only my poore selfe to please , This mighty Volume I Pen'd . ANNO. This Storie 's writ the day and yeare , That Seacoales were exceeding deere .

THus the old Prouerbe is fulfilled , A Dogge shall haue his day : And this Dogge hath not out liu'd his Reputation , but ( to the perpetuall renowne of himselfe , and good example of his owne begotten Puppies ) he hath his bright day of Fame perspicuously shining .

I read in Anthony Gueuaroa his Golden Epistles , that the Great Alexander buried his Horse ; that the Emperour Augustus made a stately Monument for his Parrot : and that Heliogabalus did embaulmne and intombe his Sparrow . Happy were those Creatures in dying before their Masters : I could with all my heart haue been glad that Drunkards fortune had been the like , vpon the condition that I had payd for his Buriall .

But to speake a little of the nature of Beasts , and of the seruice and fidelitie of Dogges toward their Masters : Quintus Curtius writes , that the Elephant whereon Porus the Indian King road in the Battle against Alexander , when the King was beaten downe to the ground , that the Elephant drew his Master with his Trunke out of the danger of the Fight , and so sau'd him .

A Groome of the Chamber to French King Francis the first , was murdered in the Forrest of Fountein Belleau , but the said Groome had a Dogge , who afterward ( in the presence of the King & all the Court ) did teare the Murderer in peeces .

Amongst the Watermen at the Black-Friers , there lately was a little Bitch that Whelped or Litter'd in the Lane vnder a bench , the Men perceiued that she had more Puppies then she could sustaine , did take three of them and cast them into the Thames , ( the water being high ) but the next day , when the water was ebd away , the Bitch went downe the staires , and found her three drowned Puppies , when presently she dig'd a deepe pit in the ground , and drew them into it one after an other , and then scrap'd the grauell vpon them and so hid them .

I could produce and relate many of these examples and accidents , but they are so frequent and familiar , that almost euery man hath either known or heard of the like : But chiefely for the Dogge , he is in request aboue all Beastes , and by and from Dogges our Separatists and Amsterdamians , and our Precise dispisers of all honest and laudable Recreations may see their errors ; For of all the Creatures , there are most diuersitie in the shapes and formes of Dogges ; of all which , there are but two sorts that are vsefull for Mans profit , which two are the Mastiffe , and the little Curre , Whippet , or House-dogge ; all the rest are for pleasure and recreation ; so likewise is the Mastiffe for Beare and Bull : But the Water-spaniell , Land-spaniell , Grey-hound , Fox-hound , Buck-hound , Blood-hound , Otter-hound , Setter , Tumbler , with Shough and Dainty , my Ladies delicate Fisting hound ; all these are for pleasure , by which we may perceiue that Man is allowed lawfull and honest recreation , or else these Dogges had neuer bin made for such vses .

But many pretty rediculous aspersions are cast vpon Dogges , so that it would make a Dogge laugh to heare and vnderstand them : As I haue heard a Man say , I am as hot as a Dogge , or , as cold as a Dogge ; I sweate like a Dogge , ( when indeed a Dogge neuer sweates , ) as drunke as a Dogge , he swore like a Dogge : and one told a Man once , That his Wife was not to be beleeu'd , for she wonld lye like a Dog ; marry ( quoth the other ) I would giue twelue pence to see that trick , for I haue seene a Dog to lye with his Nose in his Tayle .

FINIS .