Ihe Merry Past 



torn of weakness, whilst he looked as little a subject 

 for nervous affection as Hercules in his prime. Never- 

 theless, his nervous system was utterly overthrown, 

 and his reputation as a driver became a thing of the 

 past. 



Whilst there were a number of first-class coaches, a 

 great many were indifferently horsed and badly driven. 



The Shrewsbury Wonder, the Dorchester Magnet, 

 the Nimrod, Telegraph, and Independent Southamp- 

 tons, the Norwich coaches and many others too 

 numerous to mention, together with all the mails out 

 of London, were exceptions : but alas ! when the 

 magic circle was passed these were but Magnets with- 

 out attractions, Flys that only crawled, most dangerous 

 Safetys, and Regulators pre-eminently uncertain. 

 Such coaches were generally driven by the worst 

 specimens of coachmen of the old school, men weigh- 

 ing the weight of two outside passengers, and occupy- 

 ing the space, too : or shadows, nerveless and power- 

 less from habitual dram-drinking, and who thought 

 bad language, worse slang, hard drinking, and cruelty 

 to their unfortunate cattle the essential requisites 

 to establish the character of a stage-coachman. 



The worst kind of coach was infamously turned out, 

 whilst the wretched condition of the horses was 

 sometimes such as to attract the attention of passengers 

 and arouse a protest. 



" By Jasus ! " said one of these, an Irishman, 

 pointing to a particularly decrepit wheeler ; " if you 

 want to send him on his thravels, it's into the coach you 

 should put him, and not into the harnish." 



