42 COACHING. 



attribute to magnificence what was really the 

 effect of a very disagreeable necessity. A pair 

 of horses now would do ten times the work six 

 did in the days 1 write of, and I cannot illus- 

 trate this better than by giving Vanbrugh's 

 most humorous description of the way in which 

 a country gentleman, newly chosen a Member 

 of Parliament, came up to London. On that 

 occasion all the exertions of six beasts, two of 

 which liad been taken from the plough, could 

 not save the family coach from being embedded 

 in a quagmire. 



The scene takes place at Uncle Richard's 

 house in London, previous to the arrival of 

 his nephew, Sir Francis Headpiece, a country 

 gentleman and Parliament man, who was 

 strongly addicted to malt-liquor and field sports. 

 Although only forty-two years of age, it ap- 

 pears that Sir Francis had drunk two-and-thirty 

 tuns of ale, while in the pursuit of the chase 

 he had broken his right arm, his left leg, and 

 both his collar-bones. 



Uncle Richard had just read his wiseacre 

 nephew's letter, when James, the footman, 

 enters hastily. 



" Sir, Sir," he exclaims, " they're all 

 a-coming] here's John Moody arrived already. 



