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horses. It were to be wished, however, that 

 these exchanges could be effected without im- 

 peaching the credit of the seller or the under- 

 standing of the purchaser, which is too often 

 the case j for in placing an implicit reliance on 

 the fair words of those we trust, we relinquish 

 our own judgement in the hope of an honour- 

 able indemnification, which is often rewarded 

 by the basest deception. 



In having frequently alluded to horse dealers, 

 we trust it will not be construed into a desire 

 to attach to them the slightest odium as a 

 collective body ; for as there is a proneness in 

 all other men to derive advantage from supe- 

 rior talents, it v/ere selfish and inconsistent to 

 deny it to them. Buying and selling are 

 honourable sources of wealth; but he who, in 

 transactions of this sort, either sports with the 

 credulity, or imposes on the ignorance of an- 

 other, by fixing the stamp of perfection on 

 things that have no claim to genuineness, for- 

 feits the confidence and deserves the reproach 

 of all mankind . 



But since the artifices of horse dealers rtiay 

 be detected by paying proper attention to es- 

 sential points, we have endeavoured to dis- 



