cockpit may still be seen ; and we can easily imagine the excitement 

 attending the cockfights which took place there, and the scenes of 

 revelry that followed. In Keswick a large iron ring was formerly 

 fixed in a stone block in the market place ; this was called the 

 bull-ring, and to this a bull, previous to being slaughtered, was 

 fastened by the ring in its nose, and then baited and bitten by 

 savage dogs amid dreadful bellowing, till the poor beast was 

 aJmost covered with foam, and quite exhausted. Great excite- 

 ment prevailed when a bull was being baited, and large numbers 

 assembled to witness the sport. On such occasions the market- 

 place at Keswick was crowded, and many, in order to obtain a good 

 view, might be seen sitting on the roofs of the adjoining houses. 

 I need scarcely remind you that there were no three or four storey 

 houses surrounding the market-place in those days. Beyond the 

 excitement which the exhibitions produced among the spectators, 

 the system was thought to be of great value in improving the 

 quality of the beef, an aged bull being especially tough unless 

 well baited before slaughtering. In the celebrated Borrowdale 

 letter, a young shepherd from that valley writes home to a friend, 

 and, among other matters, gives him the account of his passage 

 from Whitehaven to Dublin by the boat, which he termed a "sea 

 nag." He describes how "the sea nag was gitten cowdy," and 

 that "it canter'd up wi' tae end an' doon wi' t' tudder, when he 

 telt a man to twine t' tail on't, as they dui swine, or bulls when 

 they carry them to bait at Kessick, an' they willn't ga on." When 

 the flesh of a bull was exposed for sale, it was the rule in Keswick, 

 and probably elsewhere, to burn candles during the day on the 

 stall on which the meat was exposed for sale, in order that 

 customers might be aware of the quaUty of the meat sold there. 



When an assemblage of people took place in the town, if a man 

 shook the bull ring, it was understood to mean a challenge to fight 

 any one present ; this often led to pugilistic encounters, the same 

 as the Irishman's invitation at Donnybrook fair, for anyone to 

 tread on the tail of his coat. "Greit Jacob Howe," who belonged 

 to a well-known family of brothers then living at Applethwaite, 

 and who are still remembered in the neighbourhood as very 



