108 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



with, his two packs; and if the " ugliest woman in 

 Europe 5 ' had fully understood what it meant, it is 

 probable,, that like the Glasgow Baillie, she would 

 not have admitted a rocking-horse into her nursery, 

 " just for fear o' the tendency." The Duke of York's 

 devotion to it was scarcely less marked than his 

 brother's ; but the Duke of Clarence, on the con- 

 trary, although he retained the royal stud for a short 

 time, and (" starting the whole fleet," as he expressed 

 it), ran first, second, and third for the Goodwood 

 Cup, with Fleur-de-lis, Zinganee, and the Colonel, 

 in the very year of his accession, cared so little about 

 it, that he was often seen to turn his back on the 

 horses while they were running at Ascot. In fact, 

 he liked George Nelson for his jockey more for the 

 sake of his nautical name than anything else ; and 

 he was much more in his element when he went be- 

 hind the scenes of Old Drury, and tied Jack Ban- 

 nister's black handkerchief for him before he rol- 

 licked on to the stage in his sailor part. This little 

 act is exactly illustrative of the graceful and yet 

 dignified bonhommie which the three royal brothers 

 always displayed towards those about them; and 

 there is very little doubt that nothing but rank jea- 

 lousy of the popularity which the eldest acquired by 

 it, caused a few turf rivals to join in thai, dead set 

 which drove him in disgust from Newmarket. His 

 maiden turf career lasted for some seven seasons, 

 during which time he had several fair horses, Tot, Sir 

 Thomas, Anvil, Hardwicke, &c., and opened some- 

 what inauspiciously on May 8th, 1784, when he was 

 in his 22nd year. Hermit, lOst. lllb., with 6 to 4 and 

 Mr. Panton on him, had to strike the royal colours in 

 a 50 sovereigns a-side match over the last mile of 

 the beacon, with Surprise, lOst. lib. (Sir H. Feather- 

 stone) ; but jockeys were substituted for gentlemen- 

 riders in a second edition of the match, at the same 

 weights and distance, that afternoon, and although the 



