188 ■ HISTORY OF THE 



national pursuit which hath given even our com^ 

 mon horses a degree of speed unrivalled among 

 nations, and to our nobility, gentry, and yeomanry 

 a vigour of mind and body which has so often 

 sheltered these discontented drones. 



Again, in their bigoted protests against the field 

 sports of our nobihty and gentry, they appear to 

 have wilfully shut their eyes to the important con- 

 sideration of the large sums of money circulated in 

 these pursuits, every farthing of which is spent in 

 the country, giving employment to thousands. 

 Were it not for these manly amusements, how, we 

 would ask, would these large fortunes be dis- 

 pensed ? Let us take but one glance at the frivo- 

 lous dissipations of the effeminate nobility on the 

 continent. '' Look on this picture and on that," 

 and then let us ask, is there any man of proper 

 feeling, nay, we had almost said, in his proper 

 senses, who could wish to see those follies usurp 

 the place of field sports at home ? A few facts 

 connected with this subject will at once prove to 

 these " praise-God bare-bone" saints how futile 

 all their anathemas have been, as v/e trust they 

 will ever be, against England's favourite national 

 amusement — the turf. So great had been the decline 

 of racing in England during the fifty years preceding 

 1798, from the wars which were carried on during 

 that period, that we find the annual races had been 

 discontinued at the following towns and places. 



