Colonel ZTfoomas ZIbornton 77 



fleeced them out of 20,000 one night by the dirtiest 

 wager I have ever heard of. Hut I do not think the 

 Colonel was much of a gambler. At any rate, like 

 Colonel O'Kelly of Eclipse fame, who, though he had 

 made his fortune by betting and gambling, would allow 

 no gaming in his own house, Thornton would permit no 

 high play at Thornville Royal, albeit in other respects 

 it was as veritable a Liberty Hall as Rabelais' Abbey of 

 Thelema. Nor would he sanction catch-bets made when 

 the wine was in and the wit was out. Over the chimney- 

 piece of the library at Thornville Royal was a marble 

 slab bearing this inscription : 



" Utinam, hanc verts amisic impleam ! 



By the established rule of this house all bets are 

 considered to be off if either of the parties, by letter or 

 otherwise, pay into the hands of the landlord by five 

 o'clock the next day the sum of one guinea." 



At a time when the craze for wagering verged upon 

 mania, and gentlemen were ready to back their opinions 

 on the most ridiculous trifles for thousands, especially 

 after dinner, such a rule showed both courage and sense 

 in the framer. 



No sketch of Colonel Thornton would be complete 

 without some notice of the notorious " Mrs." Thornton, 

 whose equestrian feats created an immense sensation in 

 her day. This lady is constantly referred to as if she 

 had been the legal wife of the Master of Thornville 

 Royal. Even the " Dictionary of National Biography," 

 usually correct in its information, has fallen into this 

 error, and alludes to this " expert equestrienne " as the 



