196 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



his owner at the Battle of the Boyne that his memory 

 was made famous by King Herod. This sire of 

 Highflyer was foaled, like Eclipse and Marske, in 

 the paddocks of the Duke of Cumberland, who used 

 to throw mains with Lord^ Sandwich when the hounds 

 checked, " on every green hill and under every green 

 tree," and whose name was as great in connexion 

 with blood stock as that of the Duke of Montague, 

 in Charles II.' s reign. Woodpecker and Highflyer 

 represent the two great branches of King Herod's 

 line ; and the descendants of the former have been as 

 renowned for their speed as those of the latter for 

 their staying qualities* That wonderful trio of 

 brothers by Buzzard (a fair-sized chesnut with one 

 eye), out of an Alexander mare, to wit, Selim, Reu- 

 bens, and Castrel, were but two degrees from Wood- 

 pecker; and while Castrel was, till within the last few 

 years, represented by his son Pantaloon, and now by 

 Hobbie Noble, Selim may be traced through Langar 

 to Pyrrhus the First, and through Sultan to Beiram 

 and Bay Middleton. Prunella, on the other hand, 

 was the queen of the Highflyer mares, and Sir Peter 

 Teazle or Sir Peter as he was popularly styled 

 the most distinguished of his male descendants ; and 

 through his grandson Partisan, who was by Walton, 

 out of Parasol, a daughter of Prunella, we have had 

 Venison and Gladiator. The Partisan blood has thus 

 a strong double stain of Highflyer in it : and although 

 the effects of this rather close breeding brought no 

 softness into the Venisons, it may have had its effect 

 on the Sweetmeats ; and the failure of the Action 

 stock may also be accounted for by the fact that 

 both his dam and grandam were by Highflyer. 

 Agonistes, Haphazard, Sir Solomon, and Sir Paul 

 were all very noted " four-mile" sons of Sir Peter, 

 and Sir Paul transmitted his stoutness, through 

 Paulowitz and Cain, to the stock of Ion, who was 

 never a great favourite in England, and was con- 



