THE HUNTER. 83 



The principle of preparing both the race-horse and the hunter for their work 

 is the same, and can have no mystery about it. It consists in getting rid of all 

 superfluous flesh and fat by physic and exercise, yet without too much lowering 

 the animal ; and, particularly in bringing him by dint of exercise into good 

 wind, and accustoming him to the full trial of his powers without overstraining 

 or injuring him. Two or three doses of physic as the season approaches, and 

 these not too strong ; plenty of good hard meat ; and a daily gallop of a couple 

 of miles at a pace not too quick, will be nearly all that can be required. 

 Physic must not indeed be omitted ; but the three words, az>, exercise, food, 

 contain the grand secret and art of training. 



The old hunter may be fairly ridden twice, or, if not with any very hard 

 days, three times in the week ; but, after a thoroughly trying day, and evident 

 distress, three or four days' rest should be allowed. They who are merciful to 

 their horses, allow about thirty days' work in the course of the season, with 

 gentle exercise on each of the intermediate days, and particularly a sweat on 

 the day before hunting. There is an account, however, of one horse who 

 followed the fox- hounds seventy- five times in one season. This feat has never 

 been exceeded. 



We recollect to have seen the last Duke of Richmond but one, although an 

 old man, and when he had the gout in his hands so severely that he was obliged 

 to be lifted on horseback, and, both arms being passed through the reins, were 

 crossed on his breast, galloping down the steepest part of Bow Hill, in the 

 neighbourhood of Goodwood, almost as abrupt as the ridge of an ordinary house, 

 and cheering on the hounds with all the ardour of a youth *. 



The difference in the pace, and the consequent difference in the breed of the 

 horse, have effected a strange alteration in the usage of the hunter. It is the 

 almost invariable practice for each sportsman to have two, or sometimes three 

 horses in the field, and after a moderate day's sport the horse has his three or four 

 days' rest, and no fewer than five or six after a severe run. When a little more 



of those ugly yawns, with which this part of The Treasurer Burleigh, the sage councillor 



Surrey abounds. The author's friend, Mr. of Queen Elizabeth, could not enter into the 



Thomas Turner of Croydon, kindly procured pleasures of the chase. Old Andrew Fuller 



him permission to have a portrait of this noble relates a quaint story of him : 



animal taken by Mr. Harvey ; and says in one " When some noblemen had gotten William 



of his letters, " I never heard of a blot on the Cecil, Lord Burleigh, to ride with them a 



old horse's escutcheon." hunting, and the sport began to be cold, 



* Sir John Malcolm (in his Sketches of 'What call you this?' said the treasurer. 



Persia) gives an amusing account of the iin- ' Oh! now the dogs are at fault,' was the reply, 



pression which a fox-huut in the English style ' Yea,' quoth the treasurer, ' take me again in 



made on an Arab. such a fault, and I'll give you leave to punish 



" I was entertained by listening to an Arab me.' " 



peasant, who, with animated gestures, was In former times it was the fashion for women 



narrating to a group of his countrymen all he to hunt almost as often and as keenly as the 



had seen of this noble hunt. ' There came men. Queen Elizabeth was extremely fond 



ihe fox,' said he, pointing with a crooked stick of the chase. Rowland Whyte, in a letter to 



to a clump of date-trees, ' there ho came at a Sir Robert Sidney, says, " Her Majesty is 



great rate. I hallooed, but nobody heard me, well, and excellently disposed to hunting ; for 



and I thought he must get away ; but when every second day she is on horseback, and 



he got quite out of sight, up came a large spot- continues the sport long." 



ted dog, and then another and another. They This custom soon afterwards began to 



all had their noses to the ground, and gave decline, and the jokes and sarcasms of the 



tongue whow, whow, whow, so loud, I was witty court of Charles II. contributed to dis- 



frightened. Away went these devils, who countenance it. 



soon found the poor animal. After them gal- It is a curious circumstance, that the first 



loped the Foringees (a corruption of Frank, work on hunting that proceeded from the press 



the name given to a European over all Asia), was from the pen of a female, Juliana Barnes, 



shouting and trying to make a noise louder or Berners, the sister of Lord Beraers, and 



than the dogs. No wonder they killed the prioress of the nunnery of Sopewell, about the 



fox among them.' " year 1481. 



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