The newly anointed James I pays his first visit to the Tower of London's animal-baiting arena, where Edward Alleyn officiates as Master of the King's Game. Informed by his company that the English equivalent in courage of the lion is the mastiff, James requires Alleyn to set three mastiffs against the Tower's 'lustiest Lion.' James concludes that the lion exceeds the dog only in strength; Howes adds (patriotically) that the foreign-bred Lion 'hath not any peculiar or proper kind of fight, as hath the Dog, Beare, or Bull, but onely a rauenous kind of surprising for prey.' At the end of the show, Prince Henry commands Edward Alleyn to keep the surviving of the three mastiffs, 'saying, he that had fought with the king of beastes, should never after fight with any inferiour creature.'
| Name | Event Role(s) | Document Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Stuart, James I | audience member | |
| Stuart, Henry Frederick | audience member | |
| Alleyn, Edward | master of the King's game |