THE LION. 273 



the house to be exhibited to my friends. WJien he 

 was five years old, he did some mischief by pawing 

 and playing with people in his frolicksome moods : 

 having griped a man one day a little too hard, I 

 ordered him to be shot, for fear of incurring the 

 guilt of what might happen ; on this, a friend, who 

 happened to be then at dinner with me, begged him 

 as a present : how he came here I know not." 



Here Sir George ended ; and the Duke of Tus- 

 cany assured him, that the Lion had been given to 

 him by the very person on whom Sir George had 

 bestowed him. 



An instance of recollection and attachment oc- 

 curred not many years since in a Lion belonging to 

 the Duchess of Hamilton. At is thus related by Mr. 

 Hope : " One day I had the honour of dining with 

 the Duchess of Hamilton. After dinner, the com- 

 pany attended her grace to see a Lion fed that she 

 liad in the court. While we were admiring Iiis 

 fierceness, and teazing him with sticks to make 

 him abandon liis prey and fly at us, the porter 

 came and informed the Duchess that a Serjeant 

 with some recruits at the gate^ begged to see the 

 Lion. Her grace, wath great condescension and 

 good-nature, asked permission of the company to 

 admit the travellers. They were accordingly ad- 

 mitted at the moment the Lion was p-rowimp; over 

 his prey. The Serjeant, advancing to the cage, 

 called ' Nero, Nero, poor Nero, don't you know 

 me ?' The animal instantly turned his head to 

 look at him ; then rose up, left bis prey, and came. 



Vol. I. T 



