1638 - Taylor, John - Bull, Bear, and Horse, Cut, Curtail

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-07. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-07-28.

The Bear-Garden or Paris Garden to the left, The Globe Theatre to the right (from Lee, Sidney, ed.; Onions, Charles Talbut, ed.; Raleigh, Walter, ed. Shakespeare's England: an Account of the Life and Manners of his Age (Oxford, 1932), vol. II, plate facing p. 166; click image to enlarge).

Allusion

Heere follows the Names of the Bulls and Beares at the Beare-Garden now.

The Bulls are,

1 Goldilocks.
2 Emperour.
3 Dash.
4 Iugler.

The Beares are,
1 Ned of Canterbury.
2 George of Cambridge.
3 Don Iohn.
4 Ben Hunt.
5 Nan Stiles.
6 Beefe of Ipswich.
7 Robin Hood.
8 Blind Robin. [p. 62:]
9 Iudith of Cambridge.
10 Besse Hill.
11 Kate of Kent.
12 Rose of Bedlam.
13 Nan Talbot.
14 Mall Cut-Purse.
15 Nell of Holland.
16 Mad Besse
17 Will Tookey
18 Besse Runner.
19 Tom Dogged.
If any will one of these, or some,
Or all, let them to our Beare-Garden come:
These beasts are for their service bound & tide,
And there their pleasures may be satisfied.

IRHB comments

After bears Nos. 16 and 17 is a left curly brace followed by the words "two white Beares." More often than not "Beare-Garden" was called "Paris Garden". This arena for the sickening "sport" of animal torture was in use until 1682.

Lists

• Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 315-19.
• Outside scope of Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88.

Sources

• Taylor, John. Bull, Beare, and Horse, Cut, Curtaile, and Longtaile (London, 1638). Not seen.

Background

• Beargarden

Notes