“Provided also, that this seid acte of assumpcion or resumpcion, extend not nor in any wise be prejudiciall unto Rauff Hastynges, Squier for oure body, of or in any graunte made unto hym by oure lrēs patentes, berying date the XXX day of Juyn the first yere of oure reigne, of the office of kepyng lyons, leonesses and leopardes, within our Toure of London that tyme beying, and of theym that within the same Toure for the tyme shal be, with a place for the Keper of such lyons, leonessez and leopardes there deputed, with another place there, which for the same lyons, leonessez and leopardes within oure seid Toure is ordeyned, with the wages of xiid. by day for hymself, and for sustentation of every lyon, leonessez and leopardes abovesaid vid. by day, duryng the lyf of the said Rauf. But that oure seid lrēs patentes stande good and effectuell after the contenue of the same; the seid acte or any other acte in this Parlement made or to be made notwithstonding.”
The Act of Resumption of 4th Edward IV., A.D. 1464 (Rot. Parl. vol. v. fo. 533), contains a very similar proviso and reservation of the office, in favour of the before-mentioned Ralph Hastings, except that it does not mention the leopards, and that the allowance is stated to be 16d. a day, instead of 1s., for fees for himself, besides what was also allowed for the keep of the lions and lionesses.
The following is an extract from the act:—
“of any graunte made by us to hym by any of oure lrēs patents of the office of kepying of lions and lionesses within our Toure of London; or of any graunte made by us to the said Rauff by oure lrēs patentes, of a place within the said Toure for kepying of the seid lions and lionesses there deputed, or of anoder place which for the seid lions and lionesses within the seid Toure is ordeyned, or of xvid. by the day, by us graunted to the said Rauff, for his fees and occupation of the seid office, or of vid. by the day by us graunted to hym, for the sustentation of every lion and lionesse.”
Perhaps the latter passage may be considered as elucidated, in some degree, by another passage, which occurs in the subsequent act of 7th and 8th Edward IV., as will be next noticed; and that 6d. a day was allowed for the keep of each lion, &c.: no trifling sum at that time.
The Act of Resumption of 7th and 8th Edward IV. A.D. 1467 and 1468 (Rot. Parl. vol. v. fo. 598), also contains a proviso and reservation to the same effect as the last, respecting the grant of the office to Ralph Hastings; but mentions 1s. a day only, for his fees, besides a further allowance for the keep of the animals. It provides that the act should not prejudice the grant to Ralph Hastings, of the office—
“of kepying of lyons and lyonesses within oure Toure of London, or of any graunte made by us to the seid Rauf, by oure letters patentes, of a place within the said Toure, for kepying of the seid lions and lionesses there deputed, or of an other place whiche for the said lions and lionesses within the seid Toure is ordeyned, or of xiid. by the day by us graunted to the seid Rauf, for his fees and occupation of the said office, or of vid. by the day by us graunted to hym, for the sustentation of every lyon, and of every lyonesse vid.”
PART II.
ON THE PROBABLE PERIOD OF THE EXTINCTION
OF WOLVES IN ENGLAND. [287a]
“Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave!
Burning for blood! bony and gaunt, and grim!
Assembling wolves in raging troops descend;
And pouring o’er the country, bear along,
Keen as the north wind sweeps the glossy snow.
All is their prize. They fasten on the steed,
Press him to earth, and pierce his mighty heart,
Nor can the bull his awful front defend,
Or shake the murd’ring savages away.”Thomson’s Winter.
Several descriptions of wild animals were, at one period, inhabitants of Great Britain, which, with the increase of population and civilization, have become extinct, amongst which may be mentioned, the wolf, bear, [287b] and wild boar. [287c] We may, however, perhaps regret the extinction of other animals, which were not of a destructive kind; for example, the beaver [288a] is generally admitted by naturalists, to have been, and the roe deer certainly was, formerly, a native of England. The beaver is no longer to be found amongst us; and the roe deer is not now to be met with in any part of this country to the south of Scotland: the latter, however, remained wild in England and Wales, until the reign of King Henry VIII. [288b] The fox would probably have also disappeared ere now, if it had not been for his superior cunning, and his conducing to the sports of the field; the otter is become rather scarce; and the seal is now rarely found upon the coasts of England. The poor harmless badger, although still occasionally met with in some unenclosed or wild parts, has, notwithstanding his inoffensive and unobtrusive habits, been exterminated in several of the English counties, and is become rare in most of them.