When Queen Elizabeth visited Kenilworth Castle in 1575, her host, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, arranged a hunt and a bear-baiting as part of the entertainments. Laneham's jocular letter describing the festivities conveys the untroubled delight some early moderns took in blood sport. However, the allegorical portrayal of the baiting as a litigious trial reflects a tendency to impose human meanings on non-humans (and vice versa), blurring the species divide on which the cruelty is predicated.

Source: A Letter Wherein Part of the Entertainment unto the Queen's Majesty at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire in this Summer's Progress, is Signified (1575), 21–4.

Wednesday, her Majesty rode into the Chase, ° a-hunting again of the hart of force. ° The Deer, after his property, for refuge took the soil, but so mastered by hot pursuit on all parts that he was taken quick ° in the pool. The watermen held him up hard by the head while, at her Highness's commandment, he lost his ears ° for a ransom, and so had pardon of his life.

Thursday, the fourteenth of this July and the sixth day of her Majesty's coming, a great sort of ban-dogs ° were there tied in the outer Court and thirteen bears in the inner. Whosoever made the panel, there were enough for a Quest ° and [22] one for a challenge, ° and need were. A wight ° of great wisdom and gravity seemed their foreman to be, had it come to a Jury. But it fell out that they were caused to appear there upon no such matter, but only to answer to an ancient quarrel between them and the ban-dogs in a cause of controversy that hath long depended, ° been obstinately full often debated with sharp and biting arguments on both sides, and could never be decided, grown now to so marvellous a malice that with spiteful upbraids and uncharitable chafings always they fret, as far as anywhere the one can hear, see, smell the other, and indeed at utter deadly foehood. Many a maimed member (God wot), bloody face, and a torn coat hath the quarrel cost between them, so far likely the less yet now to be appeased as there wants not partakers to back them on both sides.