Happily for the Earl of Leicester, his private parks and woods were well stocked with deer. Otherwise Queen Elizabeth, who loved hunting, might well have ended her Kenilworth stay abruptly. By oversight one hot day, the only beer Leicester could provide to quench the royal thirst had been brewed too strong for the Queen to drink. Elizabeth, although endlessly patient with the most bumbling commoner, had little tolerance for such inefficiency from a courtier; she flew into a terrible temper. She had been hunting in the morning, but it was quickly decided to arrange another hunt for the afternoon. "Her Majesty is going to the forest to kill some bucks with her bow," the relieved Earl soon afterward reported by letter to an old friend. "God be thanked, she is very merry and well-disposed now."
A LUSTY CHASE takes the royal party through Kenilworth's well-cleared woods of stout oak and beech trees. The riders in the lead go at full gallop to find the stag; other huntsmen are following on foot. The Queen, an expert with a crossbow, probably made the kill.
A "WILD MAN,"emergj)ij from the woods in a costume of moss and ivy, recites a humorous speech to the royal guest as she returns from the hunt. Elizabeth charmed such performers by giving them her full attention and a warm "Be not afraid" if they seemed nervous.
World History
