The Heptarchy of the Cats. 39 



of the weak, are all "tigers." So Wrong itself and Evil 

 Passions are symbolised by the tiger, Wrath is "tiger- 

 passioned " (Keats), and — the climax of insidious and abomi- 

 nable cruelty — the gout is " half tiger, half a snake " (Arm- 

 strong). Once only is the beast amiable, and that is in a 

 general revolution of animal character which Darwin delight- 

 fully imagines in his " Loves of the Plants : " — 



" Charmed on the brink, relenting tigers gaze, 

 And pausing buffaloes forget to graze ; * 



Admiring elephants forsake their wood, 

 Stretch their wide ears, and wade into the flood. 

 In silent herds the wondering sea-calves lave, 

 Or nod their slimy foreheads o'er the wave ; 

 Poised on still wing attentive vultures sweep, 

 And, winking crocodiles are lulled to sleep ; " 



and once again, when Chatterton sees them " wanton with 

 their shadows in their stream." 



But in Chatterton all things were permissible \ ^ and 

 Moore, perhaps, need create no surprise when he assures 

 us that even the hungriest tiger will not eat a " Ghebir " 

 man, knowing him to be "a thing untamed and fearless as 

 themselves." But why does Shelley make tigers fight with 

 sea-snakes out in mid-ocean? or Campbell sing of tigers 

 stealing along the bank of a North American river? or 

 Somerville describe them in Mexico ? or why do Cowley 

 and Byron speak of spotted tigers ? 



" The tiger's litter ; but whoe'er 

 Would seek to save the spotted sire or dam 

 Unless to perish by their fangs ? " 



^ For instance, this impossible convention of animals — 



" The rampynge lyon, felle tygere, 



The bocke that skyppes from place to place, 

 The olyphaunte and rhynocere 



Before me throughe the greene-woode I did chase." 



— Parlyamente of Sprytes. 



