6 The Poets Beasts. 



them, "of a monstrous size and frightful aspect," approaches 

 the open door, stretches itself, gapes, yawns, " then thrusts 

 out half a yard of tongue, with which it licks the dust off 

 its face," puts its head out of the cage, and after looking 

 about it *' awhile," turned its back upon the Don, without 

 paying any attention whatever to his "vapourings and 

 bravado," and "very contentedly lay down again in its 

 apartment." So perhaps "the lion is not so fierce as 

 painted," as Fuller — plagiarising from Herbert's "Jacula 

 prudentum," itself a plagiarism — allows. 



In most cases the poets represent the lions calling, like 

 the Earl of Chatham, or Mr. Winkle, for their antagonists 

 to " come on ; " but occasionally, as in straight-thrusting 

 Quarles — 



" They faint, and show 

 Tlieir fearful heels if Chaunticleer do crow ; " 



and I find in Sir Thomas Browne the following note : " In 

 our time in the court of the Prince of Bavaria one of the 

 lions leaped down into a neighbour's yard, where, nothing 

 regarding the crowing or noise of the cocks, he did eat them 

 up, with many hens." Our own lions of the Tower used, 

 I find, to be regaled occasionally on "cocks and hens." 



Though usually so chivalrous as to refuse to take advan- 

 tage of " equal foes," Byron tells us how — 



" 'Mid the sad flock at dead of niy;ht he ]:)rowls 

 With murder glutted, and in carnage rolls ; 

 Insatiate still through teeming herds he roams, 

 In seas of gore the lordly tyrant foams." ^ 



' Phineas Fletcher has the following, identical in spirit : — 

 '* As when a greedy lion, long unfed, 



Breaks in at length into the harmlessc fold — 

 So hungry rage commands — with fearful dread 

 lie drags the silly beasts ; nothing controUs 

 'I'lic victor proud ; he spoils, devours, and tears. 

 In vain the shepherd calls his peers." 



