lo The Poets Beasts. 



of. Omitting the interminable series of individuals that 

 have been leonine in deportment, the surpassing dignity 

 and sense of power that ennobles the lion's pace have been 

 admirably transferred to, among other objects, an army (Mrs. 

 Hemans) : 



" With a silent step went the cuirassed bands, 

 Like a lion's tread on the burning sands" — 



lines which might be happily applied to the march of the 

 brigade of Guards across the sands to Tel-el- Kebir. Words- 

 worth employs the simile for primeval man — 



" His native dignity no forms debase, 

 The eye sublime, and surly lion-grace : 

 The slave of none, of beasts alone the lord." 



When tranquil in mind, there is a simplicity and ease in 

 the lion's movements, though full of a tremendous conscious- 

 ness of strength, that is enninently beautiful. When slightly 

 out of temper this stateliness increases by the addition of a 

 splendid sullenness — "with sullen majesty he stalks away" 

 (Broome) — but the simplicity is lost. When it flies into a 

 passion both stateliness and simplicity are gone, for the lion 

 reverts at once to a furious rough-and-tumble wild beast. 



But the poets measure its kingliness by its fury, and the 

 more " woode " it becomes the more royal. This is an 

 error, not only of fact, but of grace. When Jove gets angry 

 he grows undignified. Gods and kings should always keej) 

 their tempers, for sceptres do not become furious hands. 

 Mortals begin to question divinity when they see such 

 passions cxlestihus aniinis. 



Sometimes, but very seldom, he is merely "the shaggy 

 lion" (Prior), "the forest prowler " (I>yron), "bristly savage" 

 (Young), " terror of the wood " (Broome), that "grins dread- 

 fully" — the lion of nature i)ure and simple, "lapping at 

 the palm-cdged pool " (Jean Ingclow) ; the husband of the 



