5 02 
BULL- 
colours. It is, however, at their own rifle that they thus 
fave the demounted horfeman; for the bull fometimes 
purfues tliem, and they have then need for all their agi¬ 
lity. They often el'cape by letting fall in his way the 
piece of fluff which was their only arms, and againft which 
the deceived animal expends all his fury. Sometimes he 
does not accept this fubflitute, and the combatant has no 
other refource but to throw himfelf fpeedily over a bar¬ 
rier, fix feet high, which inclofes the interior part of the 
arena. In fome places this barrier is double, and the in¬ 
termediate (pace forms a kind of circular gallery, behind 
which the purfued torreadore is in fafety. But,, when the 
barrier is (ingle, the bull attempts to jump over it, and 
often fucceeds. The reader may eafily imagine in what 
eonfternation the neared of the fpeftators then are ; their 
hade to get out of the way, and to crowd to the upper 
benches, becomes often more fatal to them than even the 
fury of tire bull, who, bumbling at every bep, on account 
ot the narrownefs of the place and the inequality of the 
ground, thinks rather of his own fafety than of revenge, 
and befides foon falls under the blows which are given 
him from all quarters. 
Except in fitch cafes, which are very rare, he immedi¬ 
ately returns. His adverfary, recovered, has iiad time to 
get up; he immediately remounts his horfe, provided the 
latter is not killed or rendered unfit for fervice, and the at¬ 
tack re-commences; but he is often.obliged to change his 
horfe feveral times. Expreftions cannot then be found to 
celebrate thefe acts of prowefs, which for feveral days be¬ 
come the favourite topic of converfation. The horles, 
very affecting models of patience, courage, and docility, 
may be feen treading under their feet their own bloody 
entrails, which drop from their fldes half torn open, and 
yet obeying, for fome time after, the hand which conducts 
them to new encounters. Spectators of delicacy are then 
filled with difguft, which converts their pleafure into 
pain. A new aCt is however preparing, which reconciles 
them to the entertainment. As foon as it is concluded 
that the bull has been fufficiently engaged by the comba¬ 
tants on horfeback, they retire and leave him to be irrita¬ 
ted by thofe on foot. The latter, who are called bande- 
rilleros, go before the animal; and the moment he darts 
upoli them they plunge into his neck, two by two, a kind 
ot darts called banderillas, the points of which are hooked, 
and which are ornamented with fmall dreamers made of 
coloured paper. The fury of the bull is now redoubled; 
he roars, to (Fes his head, and the vain efforts which he 
makes ferve only to increafe the pain of his wounds; this 
lad feene calls forth all the agility of his adverfaries. The 
(peClators at fuff tremble, lor them, when they behold 
tliem braving fo near the horns of this formidable animal; 
but their hands, well exercifed, aim their blows fo (kil- 
fully, and they avoid the danger fo nimbly, that, after ha¬ 
ving feen frhem a few times, one neither pities noradmires 
them, and their addrefs and dexterity feem only to be a 
ftrull e pi lode of the tragedy, which concludes in the fol¬ 
lowing manner: when the vigour of the bull appears to 
be afmpfl ex It,tufted ; when his blood, i(Tiling from twenty 
wounds, dreams along his neck and moiftens his rob lift 
fides ; and when the people, tired of one object, demand 
another victim ; the prelident of the entertainment gives 
the (ignal of death, which is announced by the found of 
trumpets. The matador then advances, and all the reft 
quit the arena ; with one hand lie holds a long dagger, 
and with the other a kind, of flag, which he waves back¬ 
wards and forwards before his adverfary. They both 
flop and gaze at one another; and, while the agility of the 
matador deceives the irnpetuo/ity of the bull, the plea- 
fure of the fpefrtators,, which was for fome time tufpend- 
ed, is again awakened into. life. Sometimes the bull re¬ 
mains t'notionlefs, throws up the earth with his foot, and 
appears as if meditating revenge. 
The bull in this condition, and the matador who cal¬ 
culates his motions and divines his projects, form a group 
which an able pencil might not difdain to delineate. The 
F I G H To 
affembly in fllence behold this dumb feene. The matador 
at length gives the mortal blow ; and, if the animal imme¬ 
diately falls, a thoufand voices proclaim with loud Ihputs 
the triumph of the conqueror; but if the blow is not de- 
cillve, if the bull furvives and feeks (till to brave the fa¬ 
tal ftecl, murmurs fucceed to applaufe, and the matador* 
wliofe glory was about to be railed to the (kies, is conli- 
dered only as an ttnlkilful butcher. He endeavours to be 
foon revenged, and to difarm his judges of their feverity. 
His zeal fometimes degenerates into blind fury, and his 
partisans tremble for the.confequences of his imprudence. 
He at length directs his blow better : the animal vomits 
up blood ; he (taggers and fails, while his conqueror is in¬ 
toxicated with the applaufes of the people. Three mures, 
ornamented with bells and dreamers, come to terminate 
the tragedy. A rope is tied round the bull’s horns which 
have betrayed his valour, and the animal., which but a lit¬ 
tle before was furious and proud, is dragged ignominioufiy 
from the arena which he has honoured, and leaves only 
the traces of his blood and the remembrance of his ex¬ 
ploits, which is foon effaced on the appearance of his fuc- 
ceffor. On each of the days Fet apart for thefe entertain¬ 
ments,, fix are thus facrificed in the morning, and twelve 
in th^pfternoon, at lead in Madrid. The three Iaft are 
given excluflvely to the matador, who, without the afli,fi¬ 
ance of the picadores, exerts his ingenuity to vary the 
pleafttre of the fpeftators. Sometimes he caufes them to 
be combated by fome intrepid ftranger, who.attacks them 
mounted on the back of another bull, and fometimes he 
matches them with a bear: this laft method is generally 
deftined for tlie pleafure of the populace. The points of 
the bull’s horns' are concealed by fomething wrapped 
round them, which breaks their force. The animal, which 
in this ftafe is called embo/ado, has power neither to pierce 
nor to tear his aritagonift. The amateurs then defeend m 
great numbers to torment him, each after his own manner, 
and often expiate this cruel pleafure by violent contu- 
flons; but the bull always falls under the ftroke of the 
matador. The tevv fpeftators who are not infefted by the 
general madnefs for this fport, regret that thole wretched 
animals do not, at leaft, purchafe their lives at the ex¬ 
pence of fo many torments and lo many efforts of courage; 
they would willingly allift them to efcape from their per- 
fecutors. In the minds of (uch fpeftators, difgttft fuc¬ 
ceeds compaflion, and fatiety lucceeds difgttft. Such a 
feries of uniform feenes makes that intereft become lan¬ 
guid, which this fpeftacle, on its commencement, feemed 
to protnife. But to connoiffeurs, who have thoroughly 
ftudied all the ftratagems of the bull, the refources of 
his addrefs and fury, and the different methods of irri¬ 
tating, tormenting, and deceiving, him, none of thefe 
feenes refembles another, and they pity thofe frivolous 
obfervers who cannot remark all their varieties. Evert 
the court formerly reckoned bull-fights among the num¬ 
ber of its feftivals. The Plaza-mayor was the theatre of 
them,*and the king and the royal family honoured them 
with their prefence. His guards prelided there under¬ 
arms. His halberdiers formed the interior circle of tire 
feene ; and their long weapons, held out in a defenfive 
pofture, were the only barriers they oppofed againft the- 
dangerous caprices of the bull : and thefe entertainments 
were called, by way of excellence, fiejlas males , or ‘ royal 
feaftsP M. Florian, in his Conquelt of Granada, pnb- 
ltlhed at Paris in 1791, has the following very elegant de- 
feription of a bull fight, as given by Ifabella, the Spanifti 
queen, to exhilarate the drooping courage of her troops, 
during the important liege of that city: 
“ in the center of the camp is a vaft circus furrounded 
with rows of feats fifing oite above the other; thither the 
Caftilian queen, (killed in the happy art of gaining the 
hearts of her (objects by providing plealures for them, 
often invited her warriors to the favourite amufetnent of 
the Spaniards. There the youthful chiefs, laying afide 
their coats of mail, and clad infilken vefts, armed only 
with lances, and mounted on the fleeted courfers, attack 
3 and 
