TURF HISTORY. 7 



spurring place, iii or iiii times together, with one 

 legge after another, as fast as your legges might 

 walk ; your legges must go like two bouching betles." 

 Other racing sovereigns had not sent their studs 

 farther north than Newmarket ; but Queen Anne, 

 who, as Dean Swift wrote to Stella, " drives furiously 

 like Jehu, and is a mighty hunter like Nimrod," was 

 a firm supporter of York. Although her Pepper 

 and Mustard both failed to win back the gold cup 

 which she gave to be run for by six-year-olds (12st. 

 each), in four-mile heats, her Star was successful, 

 after running sixteen miles, for a I4t Plate, the 

 very afternoon before she died ; the Lord Chamber- 

 lain politely finishing second with Merlin for the 

 " Ten Guinea Stakes." One hundred and fifty-six car- 

 riages were counted on Rawcliffe Ings that day ; and 

 Lord Fauconberg's coach-and-six formed only on$ 

 out of thirty such equipages, when the meeting was 

 removed to Knavesmire. Balancing the respective 

 merits of these princely turnouts, was long the 

 chosen pastime of the Tykes between the heats. 

 This high-born company must have been much more 

 easily pleased than their descendants ; as, although 

 one "Monsieur Dominique, musician/' gave " a purse 

 of guineas for hunters," and extended their 1750 

 meeting from Monday to Saturday, there were only 

 fifteen races, including heats, and* only twenty-eight 

 horses to run for them. 



We do not care to inquire with Southey whether 

 hyaenas really "prowled over what is now Doncaster 

 race-ground, and green lizards, huge as crocodiles, 

 with long necks and short tails, took their pleasure 

 on Potterie Carr ;" nor to make nearly as crab-like 

 running to the days when Robin Hood roamed with 

 his merry gang of outlaws through the dells of 

 Barnsdale, and looked in at Roche Abbey to taste 

 the Hatfield eels with the jolly abbot ; nor to peep 

 in fancy under the cowls of the Cistercian friars, as 



