76 THE BULL-FIG&T. 



From the following account, it would seem that in Great 

 Britain bull-baiting has been patronised by royalty. 



Queen Elizabeth, on the 25th of May, 1559, soon after 

 her accession to the throne, gave a splendid dinner to the 

 French ambassadors, who afterwards were entertained 

 with the baiting of bulls and bears, and the queen her- 

 self stood with the ambassadors, looking on the pastime 

 till six at night. The day following, the same ambassa- 

 dors went by water to Paris Garden, where they saw 

 another baiting of bulls and of bears ; and again, twenty- 

 seven years after, Queen Elizabeth received the Danish 

 ambassador at Greenwich, who was treated with the sight 

 of a bear and bull-baiting, "tempered," says Holinshed, 

 " with other merry disports ; and, for the diversion of the 

 populace, there was a horse, with an ape upon his 

 back, which highly pleased them, so that they expressed 

 * their inward-conceived joy and delight with shrill shouts 

 and variety of gestures.' ' 



Bull-running at Stamford was another barbarous diver- 

 sion, somewhat different from bull-fighting, and much less 

 known. The traditionary origin of the bull-running at 

 Stamford, and the manner in which it was performed in 

 the seventeenth century, are given by Butcher, in his 

 Survey of that town. " The bull-running is a sport of no 

 pleasure, except to those who delight in beastliness and 

 mischief ; it is performed just the day six weeks before 

 Christmas. The butchers of the town, at their own charge, 

 against the time provide the wildest bull they can get. 

 This bull over night is led into some stable or barn belong- 

 ing to the alderman. The next morning proclamation is 

 made by the common bellman of the town, round about 

 the same, that each one shut up their shop doors and 

 gates, and that none, upon pain of imprisonment, offer to 

 do any violence to strangers ; for the preventing whereof, 

 the town being a great thoroughfare, and then being term- 

 time, a guard is appointed for the passing of travellers 



