106 LETTER XXJX. 



atre. No sooner was the poor slave placed in this dread- 

 ful situation, than he was approached by an enormous 

 lion, which, as both he himself, and the spectators of 

 this interesting scene supposed, was to bury him in 

 its voracious stomach. At the moment, however, 

 when the people expected to see the terrible creature 

 open his tremendous jaws to devour his victim, he, to 

 every one's surprise, fell down at the man's feet, and 

 began to fawn upon him like a spaniel. Androcles 

 then recognized him to be the identical lion w r ith 

 which he had lived so familiarly in Africa, which 

 having been unfortunate like himself, had been taken 

 and carried to Rome for the public shows. 



This happened in the reign of Caligula, and that 

 emperor being informed of so extraordinary a circum- 

 stance, obliged the cruel master to liberate the slave. 

 By the emperor's order the lion was also given to 

 Androcles, who traversed the streets of Rome attend- 

 ed by his old friend. The lion would never leave 

 him ; but constantly accompanied him, and proved to 

 the man a source of wealth, by the emoluments which 

 it procured him for the gratification of public curio- 

 sity. 



A remarkable instance of recollection and grateful 

 attachment is related, by Mr. Hope, of a lion belong- 

 ing to her grace the Duchess of Hamilton : " One 

 day" says our author, " I had the honor of dining with 

 the duchess. After dinner the company attended her 

 grace to see a lion fed which she kept in the courts 

 While we were admiring his fierceness, and teazing 

 him with sticks, to make him abandon his prey and 

 fly at us, the porter came and informed the duchess, 

 that a serjeant, with some recruits at the gate, begged 

 to see the lion. They were accordingly admitted at 

 the moment the lion was growling over his prey. 

 The serjeant, advancing to the cage, called ' Nero, 

 Nero, poor Nero, don't you know me ?' The animal 

 instantly turned his head to look at him ; then left his 

 prey, and came, wagging his tail, to the side of the 

 cage. The man put his hand upon him and patted 

 him; telling us at the same time that it was three 



