168 WILD ANIMALS. 



danger. But the wilde beare being very scare, hath this quaHty, 

 that gaineth advantage to the hunter. His manner is when he' 

 assayleth a man, to rise up right on his two hinderlegs, and so to 

 come roaring with open mouth upon him. And if the hunter 

 then can push right into the very brest of him betwixt his fore- 

 legs (as commonly he will not misse), resting the other end of 

 their boare-speare at the side of his foot, and so keeping the pike 

 still towards the face of the beare, he speedeth him commonly at 

 one blow. But many times these hunters come short, and are 

 either slaine or miserably torne with the teeth and talents of the 

 fierce beast. If the partie quite himselfe well in this fight with 

 the beare, he is carried to drinke at the emperour's seller door : 

 when he drinketh himselfe drunke for the honour of Hospodare. 

 And this is his reward for adventuring his life for the emperour's 

 pleasure. To maintayne this pastime, the emperour hath certayne 

 hunting men that are appointed for the purpose to take the 

 wilde beare. This is his recreation commonly on the holy dayes." 



In the " Everyday Book " for November, 1827, among the notices 

 appears the following : " ' Bears ' are seen on the Stock Exchange 

 in human shape ; natural ones are kept by fiseurs to supply grease 

 for the hair. ' The Black Bear,' in Piccadilly ; Taylor's ' Bear,' 

 in Whitechapel ; ' The White Bear and Ragged Staff,' as a 

 punster would say, are hear-able enough ; but I reprehend the 

 ' dancing bears ' being led through the streets to perform antics 

 for money. Two have appeared this month, each with two 

 monkeys, a camel, dromedary, and organ. Travellers have told 

 of their sagacity, we believe them ; but that bears are made to 

 stand upon hot iron and undergo the severest discipline before 

 they are fit for public exhibition, is a truth which harrows the 

 feelings, and makes me wish the dancing bears unmuzzled and 

 let loose upon those who have the guidance of their education. 

 The ursa major of the literary hemisphere. Dr. Johnson, might 

 have been a match for them." 



The cruelty that was practised in teaching the tame bears 

 which used to be led about the country to dance and go through 

 their amusing antics becoming known, the public refused to en- 

 courage it. Performing bears became in consequence an invest- 

 ment of labour that did not pay, and might lead to a prosecution. 



