THE DUKE OF QUEENSBERRY. 45 



of June, and soon after sunrise on the morning of that day both 

 parties appeared upon the ground. Whilst the seconds were loading 

 the pistols, to the amazement of Lord March and his friend, a man 

 appeared, carrying a black coffin, which he solemnly placed in front 

 of that nobleman. His feelings may be imagined when on looking 

 at the coffin he saw this inscription on the plate : " James Douglas, 

 Earl of March, born November 5th, 1725, died June 10th, 1750." 

 liOrd March turned pale, and asked what this ill-timed jest meant. 

 His opponent cheerfully replied, " Why, my dear fellow, you aie 

 of course aware that I never miss my man, and as I find myself 

 in excellent trim for sport to-day, I have not a shadow of doubt 

 upon my mind that you will want this oaken cloak before ten minutes 

 are over." The nonchalance with which this explanation was made 

 was too much for Lord March's nerves ; he refused to fight, and 

 made an ample apology, nor could any insult afterwards ever 

 induce him to send or accept a challenge. 



Shortly after this occiurrence his lordship was mixed up in another 

 affair, out of which he can hardly be said to have come with tlying 

 colours. He was one evening at Renny's gaming-house in St. 

 James's Street, when there was present that odious ruffian, " Savage " 

 Roche, who gained his nickname from his having once pinned to the 

 table with a fork the hand of an officer whom he suspected of foul 

 play at cards. Roche and I^ord March had some dispute, in the 

 course of which the nobleman gave the " savage " the lie. The 

 latter, who was a very powerful man, rose calmly from his seat, laid 

 liold of Lord March by the ears, lifted him by those appendages 

 from the ground, and, tm-ning to the bystanders, said, with supreme 

 contempt, " You see, gentlemen, how I treat this despicable little 

 cock-sparrow. As a man he is too much beneath me, or I would 

 treat him as a gentleman." Lord March had to bear the affront 

 as meekly as he could, and swallow his resentment, for he was a 

 mere infant in the grasp of his muscular assailant, and, as we have 

 seen, he had already foresworn the duello. 



In 1778, by the death of his father. Lord Marcli succeeded to 

 the Dukedom of Queensberry, and he still maintained his reputa- 

 tion as one of the leading turfites of the day. Moreover, he was as 

 dangerous as he was distinguished on the turf, for no one could 

 touch him in judgment, stable-cunning, and jockey-craft. He was 

 too wide-awake for the most accomplished legs of that day, and 

 once floored them all by riding his own horse in a race after 

 allowing his jockey, Dick (Toodison, who had privately informed his 

 master of the contemplated fraud, to accept a large sum to " throw 

 the duke over." The " legs " were beguiled into the belief that they 

 had " squared " Dick (ioodison, and laid heavily against the duke's 

 horse, when, at the very last moment, just as the horses were 

 saddled, his grace stepped up to Goodison, who was about to mount, 

 and said, "Stop a minute." Then coolly throwing oft" his overcoat, 

 he revealed himself arrayed in ftill racing costume, and added. 



