The King of the Beasts. 13 



the " blood-nurtured monarch of the wood " (Souihey), with 

 terrific attributes of eye and voice and stride — 



'* The lordly lion stalks 

 Grimly majestic in his lonely walks. 

 WTien round he glares, all living creatures fly ; 

 He clears the desert with his rolling eye." 



Each special feature in turn engages the poets' deference, 

 and each in turn is cited — like the birth-marks on the 

 Christian Champions, on the Fatal Children, or Eastern 

 Messiahs of all kinds and heroes generally — as an indisput- 

 able proof of natural dominion and a birthright of sove- 

 reignty. Thus of the lion's eye — 



" A lion o'er his wild domains 

 Rules with the terror of his eye." — Monigomer}'. 



And the undoubted majesty of the lion's gaze when startled 

 into apprehension or anger is a frequent metaphor — 



" Like a lion turns the warrior, 

 Back he sends an angry glare." — Percys Reliques. 



" As a leon he his loking caste." — Chancer. 



" A lion's noble rage sits in their face. 

 Terribly comely ! arm'd with dreadful grace." — CoTv/ey. 



Its voice, " the prowling lion's Here I am " (Words- 

 worth) ; that " doubles the horrors of the midnight hours " 

 (Broome); "how fearful to the desert wide!" — is one of 

 the poets' finest resources whenever terror is needed in a 

 stanza or panic-striking catastrophe requires a simile from 

 Nature. 



" Not with more dismay 

 When o'er Caffraria's wooded hills 

 Echoes the lion's roar, the timid herd 

 Fly the death-boding sound " {Sou^/iey), 



than puny enemies before the battle-cry of heroes of the 

 lion ramp, conspirators before the discovering lantern-flash, 



