Lupold von Wedel, who was at Southwark on 23 August 1584.[1]
'There is a round building three stories high, in which are kept
about a hundred large English dogs, with separate wooden kennels
for each of them. These dogs were made to fight singly with three
bears, the second bear being larger than the first and the third larger
than the second. After this a horse was brought in and chased by
the dogs, and at last a bull, who defended himself bravely. The next
was that a number of men and women came forward from a separate
compartment, dancing, conversing and fighting with each other: also
a man who threw some white bread among the crowd, that scrambled
for it. Right over the middle of the place a rose was fixed, this rose
being set on fire by a rocket: suddenly lots of apples and pears
fell out of it down upon the people standing below. Whilst the people
were scrambling for the apples, some rockets were made to fall down
upon them out of the rose, which caused a great fright but amused
the spectators. After this, rockets and other fireworks came flying out
of all corners, and that was the end of the play.'
It is interesting to observe that the baiting proper was supplemented
with fireworks and an entertainment, which must
have been of the nature of a jig.[2] The visit of Frederick,
Duke of Württemberg, on 1 September 1592, is also recorded
by his secretary, who says:[3]
'His Highness was shown in London the English dogs, of which
there were about 120, all kept in the same enclosure, but each in a
separate kennel. In order to gratify his Highness, and at his desire,
two bears and a bull were baited; at such times you can perceive the
breed and mettle of the dogs, for although they receive serious injuries
from the bears, are caught by the horns of the bull, and tossed into
the air so as frequently to fall down again upon the horns, they do not
give in, so that one is obliged to pull them back by their tails, and force
open their jaws. Four dogs at once were set on the bull; they, however,
could not gain any advantage over him, for he so artfully contrived
to ward off their attacks that they could not well get at him;
on the contrary, the bull served them very scurvily by striking and
butting at them.'
- ↑ Translated by G. von Bülow in 2 Transactions of Royal Hist. Soc. ix. 230,
from a manuscript in the possession of Graf von der Osten at Plathe,
Pomerania. I add for the sake of completeness the following lines from
the Hodoeporica (1568, ed. 2, 1575), 224, of N. Chytraeus, whose visit
was probably c. 1565-7:
Opposita in Tamesis ripa, longa area paruis
Distincta aspicitur tectis, vbi magna canum vis
Vrsorumque alitur diuersarumque ferarum,
Quae canibus commissae Anglis spectacula praebent,
Hospitibusque nouis, vincti dum praelia miscent,
Luctantes aut ungue fero, vel dentibus uncis. - ↑ Cf. ch. xviii.
- ↑ Translated in Rye, 45.
