OF HORSEMANSHIP. 213 



love of cxcrcife, atStivity, courage, perfonal endow- 

 ments, and commanding fortunes, v/ould qualify 

 them to take the lead, and •witch the JJ^orld uith r.obJe 

 Horfemanjljip ; yet, with all thefe high privileges, they 

 have fuffered it to languifli, and almoft perifli in their 

 hands : for a length of time it has been able to boaft 

 but a very few perfons who have flood forth as its 

 avowed friends and protectors. The duke of Nsw- 

 caftle honoured it with his pra^lice, and greatly enrich- 

 ed it with his knowledge. His treatife is a proof of 

 the vafl fcience he pofTefled, which, neverthelefs, from 

 the random manner in which it is wrote, the want of 

 method and perfpecuity, the redundancy and tau- 

 tology in which it abounds, has done juftice neither 

 to the art, nor to the Urong fenfe and infallible pre- 

 cepts with which it is replete. Fortunately for horfe- 

 manfhip, and for all who love and praiTtife it, its other 

 pride and fupport flill lives and rides. He never yet 

 has thought proper to convey his knowledge to others 

 by means of the Vrejs^ but, (like the Athenian of old) does 

 more than other people 'wrhe. His Horfe is his Pen, up- 

 on which he difpenfes fuch noble ocular inftru6lions ; 

 that if the duke of Newcajile thought himfelf entitled to 

 the homage of the Hor/^'-kind *, the -nobler applaufe 

 and acknowledgments of all Hv/emeii^ mull be confeft 

 to be equally due to Sir Sidney Medows. Sir JJllliam Hope 

 laid his ofl^ering upon the altar of horfcmanfhip, and 



* Vide two prints at the head of the book publiflied by T. Sol- 

 Jeyfel. 



gave 



