ESSAY ON THE STALLIOX. 83 



case occurred in England some years since, in so 

 high a quarter as to attract public attention, and 

 consequently the fact of the account's obtaining 

 currency, without contradiction, is a fair evidence 

 of its correctness. The Prince of Wales, who 

 afterwards became George the Fourth, owned, and 

 was in the habit of riding as a hunter, an entire 

 horse et unequalled excellence. In consequence 

 of his horse's superior qualities, His Royal High- 

 ness caused a few of his own mares to be bred to 

 him in the spring, after he had been kept in the 

 highest condition as a hunter throughout the 

 winter, and the produce, on growing up, proved 

 every way worthy of their sire. When his Royal 

 Highness, as Prince Regent, became seriously 

 engaged in the cares of Government, and there- 

 fore relinquished the pleasures of the chase, being 

 desirous to perpetuate the fine qualities of this 

 stock, he ordered the horse to be kept at Windsor 

 for public covering, provided the mares should be of 

 the first quality ;"and in order to insure a sufficient 

 number of these, directed the head groom to keep 

 him exclusively for such, and to make no charge, 

 with the exception of the customary groom 's-fee 

 of half a guinea each. The groom, anxious to 

 pocket as many half guineas as possible, published 

 His Royal Highness' liberality, and vaunted the 

 qualities of the horse, in order to persuade all he 

 could to avail themselves of the benefit. The 

 result was, that the horse being kept without his 

 accustomed exercise, and in a state of repletion, 

 and serving upwards of a hundred mares yearly 

 that the stock, although tolerably promising in 

 their early age, shot up into lank, weakly, awk- 

 ward, leggy, good-for-nothing creatures, to the 

 entire ruin of the horse's character as a sire until 

 some gentlemen, aware of the cause, took pains to 



