848 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



" Treatise on Horsemanship," to have been of 

 a bay colour, a httle Horse, and no rarity for 

 shape ; he was trained, but disgraced his 

 country by being beat in his races by every 

 Horse that ran against him. 



Butcher, in his Survey of Stamford, informs 

 us, that a concourse of noblemen and gentle- 

 men meet together in the vicinity of the town, 

 in mirth, peace, and amity, for the exercise of 

 their swift-iunaing Horses, every Thursday in 

 March. The prize they run for is a silver 

 gilt cup with a cover, of the value of seven or 

 eifht pounds, provided by the Alderman for 

 the time being ; but the money is raised out 

 of the interest of a stock formerly made by 

 the neighbouring nobility and gentry, the well 

 wishers to the town. 



Races were held at Newmarket the latter 

 end of Charles I., although the Round Course 

 was not made till l(iCG. 



In this King's reign, races were run in Hyde 

 Park, as appears from a comedy called the 

 Merry Beggars, or Jovial Crew, 1641. " Shall 

 we make a fling to London and see how the 

 spring appears there, in Spring-Garden and 

 in Hyde Park, to see the races, horse and 

 foot'.'" 



At this epoch, however, the country was 

 distracted by scenes which were brought too 

 closely to the feelings and bo.som of every man 

 to allow of attention being paid to subjects 

 which can alone be prosecuted with effect in 

 periods of tranquillity. 



Burton, in his " Anatomy of Melancholy," 

 mentions Horse races as " the disports of great 

 men, and good in themselves, though many 

 gentlemen, by such means, gallop out of their 

 fortunes." 



On the restoration of Charles II., the great 

 patron of the turf, this sport, so congenial with 



the habits and manners of a free people, re- 

 vived. The glory of Newmarket, long ob- 

 scured, again shone in meridian splendour. 

 The palace, as it is now called, erected by 

 James the First, and which had fallen to decay 

 during the Civil Wars, was rebuilt for the 

 better accommodation of the Merry Monarch, 

 who personally attended, and not only gave 

 public rewards, but kept and entered Horses 

 in his own name * ; shedding by his affability, 

 like William the Fourth at Ascot, a lustre and 

 dignity on the anxious pursuit over which he 

 presided. When his Majesty resided at 

 Windsor, races were held in Datchet Mead : 

 he also occasionally visited other places where 

 Horse races were instituted — Burford Downs, 

 in particular, as may be inferred from the 

 following doggerel verses, written by Matthew 

 Thomas Baskervile, about the year 16.90. 



Next, for the glory of the place. 

 Here has been rode many a race : 

 King Charles the Second I saw here, 

 But I've forgotten in wliat 3'ear ; 

 The Duke of Monmouth hcrij, also, 

 IMade his Horse to sweat and blow ; 

 Lovelace, Pembroke, and other gallants, 

 Have been venturing here their talents ; 

 And Nicholas Bainton, on Black Sloven, 

 Got silver plate by labour and drudging. 



To this Monarch, also, we are indebted for 

 the breed of our present race of running horses. 

 With a view to the improvement of our native 

 stock, the Master of the Horse (by some said 

 to have been Sir Christopher Wyvill, and by 

 others Sir John Fenwick) was sent into the 

 Levant to procure Horses and mares for breed- 



* Oct. 10th, 1671. — " After dinner, I was on the heath, 

 where I saw the greate match run between Woodcock and 

 Flatfoot, belonging to the King and Mr. Eliot, of the bed- 

 chamber, many thousands being spectators : a more gign&l 

 race had not been run for many years." — Evelyn. 



