20 
The Animal-Lore of Shahspeare s Time. 
countenance, tearing the grats with his paws, as if he would have 
devored or torne them all in pieces; which made all to recoill bak, 
much affrighted, the keeper telling them seriously that he had never 
done the lyk befor, altho all sorts came daylie and saw him, and 
therefore he was perswaded that some one of them had done him ane 
injurie. They all swore they had not come near the grats of his cabin 
by more then a yeare: wherefor sieing him still to roare, to bray, and 
to become more furious, the keeper tells them that they must all goe 
furth, and he would call them in one by one, to sie if that way he 
could find furth the reasone. This was done; and behold, when they 
ware all gone, he groaned a little while and then was peaceable. 
Wherefor the keiper would neids try this conclusion; he bringes first 
in one of them and leids him to the grats, whereat the lyon made no 
sturre till one gentleman came in, whom he no sooner espyes, when he 
begines againe to raige, and become more furious than befor; where¬ 
for the keiper, with an angrie countenance, beseeches him to tell what 
he had done. The gentleman, avoueing his owne innocencie, was yet 
much confounded to sie that.terrible beast angrie with non but him; 
and having ruminate within himselfe of his former lyfe, at last he tells 
the keiper that he knew himself guiltie of nothinge except that he was 
on the skafold when the kinge was execute, and had dipt ane handkirt- 
cheff in his blood, which he had yet in his pocket; and drawing it 
furth, gives it to the keiper, who threw it to the lyone; and he no 
sooner gets it, when, leaving his former roaring, he takes it betwixt 
his former feit, and fallinge growfflings to the ground, he laid his head 
on it, and never rose from that posture till hee died, which was the 
third day after. This discourse, because it seemed so onprobable, I 
kept up two years, before I would insert it in my Abridgment, yet 
could never find anie that opposed the trueth of it, but everie man 
avoued it to be reallie true. 5 ’ (Page 221.) 
The sensitive nature of this centenarian lion must have 
been sorely tried by the frequent “ deaths of kings ” he 
had bewailed. We are not told of any acts of kindness 
on the part of English sovereigns which could account 
for this one-sided affection. 
The Tiger was generally considered the personification 
of remorseless cruelty. Lear calls Began and 
Tiger. * ^ 
Goneril “tigers, not daughters;” and York 
calls his unrelenting foe, Queen Margaret ,— 
“ 0 tiger’s heart wrapt ia a woman’s hide! ” 
