BEAES. 159 



waterman keep off from the tumult occasioned by baiting a bear 

 on the river hefore the Icing; be rowed, however, too near, and 

 the persecuted animal overset the boat by trying to board it. 

 The manuscript, lost in the confusion, floated away, and fell into 

 the hands of a priest, who, by being told that it belonged to a 

 privy counsellor, was terrified from making use of it, which might 

 have been fatal to the head of the reformed party," 



In the romantic age of Queen Elizabeth it even formed one of 

 the favourite amusements, and one that seems to have afforded 

 special delight to the queen. She is reported in the chronicles 

 of her period to be frequently " commanding the heares, the bulls, 

 and the ape to be bayted in the tilt-yard " or in other places, for 

 she used to entertain foreign visitors and ambassadors with the 

 sport, and it is stated on one occasion that " the Queen's Grace 

 herself stood on the gallery looking on the pastime till six at 

 night." 



When she visited Kenilworth Castle in 1576, bear-baiting was 

 among the princely pleasures provided by the Earl of Leicester 

 for her entertainment ; and in an account of this visit, written 

 by an author of the period, one Robert Laneham, a droll letter 

 to Mr. Martin, a mercer of London, is printed, which gives an 

 amusing history of the performance. 



In the present day when the popularity of the theatres is perhaps 

 greater than at any period of English history, and acting has 

 become a profession, it sounds strangely to read that three hun- 

 dred years ago the queen, who was the royal patron of Shakespeare, 

 and inclined to favour all players in every way she could, yet waxed 

 indignant when the attractions of the bear-garden were eclipsed by 

 those of the theatre. In 1591 she caused an order to be " issued 

 from the privy council forbidding plays to be acted on Thursdays, 

 because bear-baiting and such pastimes had usually been practised 

 on that day. This order was followed by an injunction from the 

 Lord Mayor to the same effect, in which his lordship complained 

 ' That in divers places the players do use to recite their plays to 

 the great hurt and destruction of the game of bear-baiting and such- 

 like pastimes, which are maintained for her Majesty's pleasure.' " 



Sunday had been the great day for bear-baiting, but in 1583 an 



