OF FARRIERY. 



353 



true portrait of this famous Horse, sc» remark- 

 able and striking in his form ; which is not 

 the case, to the regret of all true Sportsmen, 

 with respect to the Darley Arabian, of which 

 there now exists, if it yet do exist, but the 

 solitary original picture, at the old mansion of 

 Mr. Darley ; the possessor having, it is re- 

 ported, returned no answer to an application 

 some years since, for leave to take an engrav- 

 ing of it, for the pubhc satisfaction. 



The portrait of the Godolphin Arabian by 

 Stubbs, gave rise to some unfavourable criti- 

 cisms by his brother artists, in respect that the 

 elevation of the Horse's crest was excessive, 

 indeed, totally out of nature ; and it was as- 

 serted that the painter must have drawn upon 

 his imagination, in order to deck out a Horse 

 with such a lofty and swelling forehand. 



Now, looking at the Godolphin Arabian, a 

 Horse that has been of so much importance in 

 the improvement of the breed of the racing 

 ilud, it is an object of great regret, that the 

 portrait of such a Horse should be received 

 with a cavilling spirit, or at all as a matter of 

 doubt. VVe regret, for the sake of posterity 

 that thei'e should be Horses of such undoubted 

 reputed excellence, as the Darley Arabian, 

 as well as many others, of almost equal note, 

 without any portraits to enable us to judge of 

 their make and personal appearance. In the 

 present day, however', we have artists who 

 seize with aviditv the occasion of takins: the 

 portraits of celebrated Horses, and it is not to 

 be expected that any doubt of a likeness vv'ill 

 take place in future, as was in the case of the 

 Godolphin Arabian. 



It is but justice to Stubbs, however, to say, 

 that the late Rev. Mr. Chafin who had seen 

 the Godolphin Arabian frequently, vouches for 

 the correctness of this picture. 



This Arabian's fate seems to have been as 

 chequered as that of many other public cha- 

 racters, and he has been indebted as much to 

 accident for the development of his powers, as 

 some of our hei-oes of the sock or buskin have. 

 So little was he valued in France, that it is 

 said he was actually employed in the drudgery 

 of drawing a cart in the streets of Paris. 

 Mr. Coke brought him over from France, 

 and gave him to Williams, master of the St. 

 James's Coffee House, who presented him to 

 the Earl of Godolphin, 



This noble Horse, though elevated from 

 the drudgery of drawing a cart in the str-eets 

 of Paris, to the stud of a British nobleman, 

 whose name the Arabian afterwards bore, was 

 nevertheless placed in a secondary and de- 

 grading situation, by becoming teazer to Hob- 

 goblin, a stallion in his Lordship's stud, which 

 Horse was so ungallant as to refuse making 

 any advances to Roxana, and she was in con- 

 sequence put to the Arabian, and produced a 

 colt foal, the famous Lath, the most elegant 

 and beautiful, as well as the best racer of his 

 time. 



The Godolphin was fifteen hands in height, 

 of great substance, of the truest conformation 

 for strength and action, bearing every indica- 

 tion of a real courser — a Horse of the desert. 

 His colour was entire blown bay, with mottles 

 on the buttocks and crest, excepting a small 

 streak of white upon the hinder heels. He 

 was imported into France from some capital 

 or royal stud in Baibary, whence it was sus- 

 pected he was stolen. 



This Ai'abian was said to have been foaled 

 in the year 1724. He died in 1753, having 

 been consider-ed the most successful as a 

 stallion of any foreign Horse before or since 

 imported. 



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