That all the East once grasped in lordly paw?
Where that great Persian bear, whose swelling pride
The lion’s self tore out with rav’nous jaw!
Phin. Fletcher, The Purple Island, vii. (1633).
Lion The (Valiant), Alep Arslan, son of Togrul Beg, the Perso-Turkish monarch (*, 1062-1072).
Lion Attending on Man.
Una was attended by a lion. Spenser says that Una was seeking St. George, and as she sat to rest herself, a lion rushed suddenly out of a thicket, with gaping mouth and lashing tail; but as it drew near, it was awe-struck, licked her feet and hands, and followed her like a dog. Sansloy slew the faithful beast.—Faëry Queen, I. iii. 42 (1590).
⁂ This is an allegory of the Reformation. The “lion” means England, and “Una” means truth or the reformed religion. England (the lion) waited on truth or the reformation. “Sansloy” means Queen Mary or false faith, which killed the lion, or separated England from truth (or the true faith). It might seem to some that Sansfoy should have been substituted for Sansloy; but this could not be, because Sansfoy had been slain already.
Sir Ewain de Gallis or Iwain de Galles was attended by a lion, which, in gratitude to the knight, who had delivered it from a serpent, ever after became his faithful servant, approaching the knight with tears, and rising on its hind feet.
Sir Geoffrey de Latour was aided by a lion against the Saracens; but the faithful brute was drowned in attempting to follow the vessel in which the knight had embarked on his departure from the Holy Land.