114 THE MASTIFF FOR BAITING PURPOSES. 



was kept within its walls. The origin of this establishment 

 being a present of three leopards made to Henry 3rd, and addi- 

 tions were made from time to time ; one of the most enthusiastic 

 masters of this royal collection was James ist, he enlarged 

 the dens for the animals, and caused an arena to be constructed 

 where fights and baitings might take place for his entertain- 

 ment, and it has been recorded that the first time he and his 

 courtiers visited the Tower to witness a fight between the 

 lions was on March i3th, 1604. 



It is probable that James inherited much of the taste for 

 these wild beast fights from his connections with the French 

 Court, but the attempt was a failure, for the lions acting very 

 differently from those described by Leigh Hunt in his Poem 

 of "The Glove and the Lions," as performed before the 

 French King Francis, refused to fight, although food and 

 other incentives were tried to arouse their pugnacity, and all 

 efforts failing to arouse a combat, the company retired greatly 

 disappointed. 



On a subsequent visit a bear which had proved its powers 

 and fierceness by killing a horse, a child, and several mastiffs, 

 was let into the pit to the lions, who refused to fight, and 

 retreated to their dens as soon as possible. 



Stow relates, by an experiment or baiting made before 

 James ist, at the Tower, a lion was found an unequal match 

 for three mastiffs, but in reality one mastiff only survived the 

 experiment. The dogs were let loose one at a time, the two 

 first were disabled by the conflict and died of their wounds, 

 but the third although severely torn, held on some time to 

 the lion's lip, which when obliged to quit its hold, the lion 

 greatly exhausted, sought safety in flight, and leaping over 

 the dogs, made off into his den. 



