298 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



judgment to supply liim with a "perfect" hunter, 

 and the horse proved to be entirely ignorant of his 

 business, an action would lie on the implied warranty : 

 but the mere expression of an opinion imposes no lia- 

 bility, unless that opinion is given professionally, and 

 for "valuable consideration." 



It is not only the purchaser, to whom these ex- 

 planations will be useful ; dealers may equally learn 

 from them, the infinite importance of a strict adher- 

 ence to truth, in speaking of the qualities of their 

 goods. Good faith is in law an essential requisite to 

 the validity of a contract : and although the precau- 

 tion of requiring a warranty is so obvious and so 

 easy, that courts of law are much inclined to apply 

 the rule of caveat emptor against a purchaser, it by 

 no means follows that they will look with an indul- 

 gent eye upon any misrepresentation made by a seller, 

 if there is apparent indication of a fraudulent pur- 

 pose. A dealer should lay it down as a maxim quite 

 as important for him to observe, as it is for the pur- 

 chaser, — that the less he says the better : after nam- 

 ing his price, he may show his horse off to as much 

 advantage as he can ; he may make the most of it in 

 every way except by lying ; but if in the presence of 



