comfort that the times have surely bettered in some matters since then. Laneham's record says:

"Thursday, the fourteenth of this July, and the Sixth day of her Majesty's coming, a great sort of Ban-dogs were there tied in the outer court, and thirteen bears in the inner. Whosoever made the pannel, there were enough for the guest, and one for challenge, an need were. A wight of great wisdom and gravity seemed their foreman to be, had it come to a jury; but it fell out that they were caused to appear there upon no such matter, but only to answer to an ancient quarrel between them and the Ban-dogs, in a cause of controversy that had long depended, been obstinately full often debated, with sharp and biting arguments on both sides and could never be decided: grown now to so marvellous a malice, that with spiteful upbraidings and uncharitable chaffings, always they fret, as any where the one can hear, see, or smell the other and indeed at utter deadly feud. Many a maimed member (God wot) bloody face and a torn coat, hath the quarrel cost between them; so far likely the less yet now to be appeased, as there wants not partakers to back them on both sides.

Well, Sir, the bears were brought forth into the court, the dogs set to them to argue the points even face to face; they had learned counsel also on both parts. Very fierce both the one and the other, and eager in argument: if the dog in pleading should pluck the bear by the throat, the bear with traverse would claw him again by the scalp: Confess an he list, but avoid he could not, that was bound to the bar; and his counsel told him that it could be to him no policy in pleading. Therefore thus with 'fending and proving, with plucking and tugging, scratching and biting, by plain tooth and nail on one side and the other, such expense of blood and leather was

there between them, as a month's licking, I ween, will not recover; and yet remain as far out as ever they were. It was a sport very pleasant of these beasts; to see the bear with his pink eyes leering after his enemies' approach, the nimbleness and wait of the dog, to take his advantage, and the force and experience of the bear, again to avoid the assault: If he was bitten in one place, how he would pinch in another to get free; that if he was taken once, then what shift with biting, with clawing, with roaring, tossing and tumbling, he would work to wind himself from them; and when he was loose, to shake his ears twice or thrice with the blood and slaver about his physiognomy, was a matter of a goodly relief.

"As this sport was held at day-time, in the Castle, so was there abroad at night very strange and sundry kinds of fire-works, compelled by cunning to fly to and fro, and to mount very high into the air upward, and also to burn unquenchably beneath the water, contrary, ye wot, to fire's kind: This intermingled with a great peal of guns, which all gave both to the ear and to the eye the greater grace and delight, for that with such order and art they were tempered, touching time and continuance, that was about two hours space."

But here we have a sweeter scene, which carries us into the fairy-land of the Midsummer Night's Dream. The Queen is standing on the bridge, looking off over the lake. The time is late afternoon, the temperature is heavenly, the green leaves are taking on that deeper air which they assume towards the coming of the evening, the world is so tranquil that voices and all sounds ring musically between the green walls of the foliage and the gray walls of the castle.

. . . and the Lady, by and by, with her two nymphs floating upon her moveable Islands, Triton on his mermaid