i8i»i ksor THE EPWELL HUNT. 23 



liours and a quai-ter, over thirty-five miles of country, the 

 distance from Tysoe to Bom-ton-on-the-Water being twenty 

 miles straight. Many of the sportsmen did not return 

 home on that day. We are bound to notice, as we have 

 before in recording another run of this description, that no 

 mention is made of the possibility of any change of foxes, 

 notwithstanding that an unusual extent of country was 

 traversed, and that the pack must have run through several 

 coverts, and sufficiently near to others to disturb a fox. 



The famous Epwell Hunt ; or. Black Collars in the Rear, 

 was commemorated in a poem by Edward Goulburn, Esq., 

 and took place in December, 1807,, and runs as follows : 



THE EPWELL HUNT; or, BLACK COLLARS IN THE 



REAR. 



By Edward Goulburn, Esq. 



A chosen few 

 Alone the sport enjoy. 



As Epwell's wide heath* t'other day I pass'd over, 

 The hounds, I perceiv'd, were then trying the cover ; 

 Enraptur'd I heard them, and, spurring my horse, 

 Soon discover'd the pack, which had fovmd in the gorse. 



Two hundred gay sportsmen enliven' d the scene, 



All determin'd to ride, and professedly keen. 



Tho' "he morning was cold, and the frost overnight 



Made the country around in terrible plight ; 



Yet reynard broke cover, disdaining to stay, 



And in view of the field went bravely away ; 



But a bad country took, much against all their wills. 



And led them a dance o'er some heart-breaking hills. 



Then fled to some furze, and kept dodging about, 



Till Wanton, good bitch, drove the vagabond out. 



Thus routed, his foes he determin'd to face. 

 And again took them off at a rare sj^litting pace ; 

 O'er a strong and stiff covmtry went forward in style, 

 With the hounds at his brush, in full view for a mile ; 

 Was next seen in a bottom, and then headed back, 

 And whilst climbing the steep fell a prey to the pack. 



* The Epwell Hunt was written in the year 1807, hut we have not been able to ascer- 

 tain the precise time. The hounds met in that year at Epwell, on November 14 and 

 December 7, and the run must have taken place on one of these days. — Venator. 



