Cardsellers, Touts, and Augii.rs. 171 



and " The Hero of a Hundred Fights." James Bes- 

 borough gently eulogises himself, and " although 

 hating self-praise and idle puff, so prevalent in the 

 present day, boldly defies the world to find his equal." 

 There is also a breadth and point about the writings 

 of another seer, to wit, " Joe of Kensington," which 

 quite takes one by storm. At times he assures us 

 that he " has been travelling about to have a peep at 

 the Derby favourites, a privilege no other gentleman 

 possibly could have ;" and we next hear that " out of 

 pure envy at my position, the attacks made on me 

 have become so slanderous, that I prefer instituting 

 legal proceedings, rather than condescend to mix 

 myself up in any way with those making them." 



The minstrel poets of the racecourse sometimes 

 write those ballads, which they sing with such unrest- 

 ing diligence, and such screw-face contortions ; and 

 generally begin them with " You sportsmen all, both 

 great and small, one moment now attend, and listen 

 with attention to these verses I have penned ;" or 

 get on to terms with their listeners at once, by ex- 

 horting them to " Come all you jolly sporting coves, 

 and listen unto me, whilst a song I do relate, that 

 shall be sung with glee." Rhyme and reason never 

 stand in the way of these bards. We find it on record 

 of a horse, who " did the Derby win ; like lightning 

 he flew round the course, upon his nimble pin ;" and 

 again, " The crack took up the running ground, and 

 bent his well-formed legs, till he reached the winning- 

 post, then shook his splendid pegs ;" on the very day 

 when 



" He went to Epsom Down, 

 And won the Derby Stake, 6320!." 



Of the general literature of the turf it boots us not 

 to speak in detail. We would merely observe, en 

 passant, that we have ARGUS, .that Jules Janin of 

 racing feuilletonists, at the very head of it, in the Post 

 (whose sporting fame was first laid by JUDEX, who 



