THE PROGRESS OF HIPPOPHAGY: 



A PLEA FOR EATING HORSE-FLESH. 



IN the year 1857 we were converted to the derided 

 faith of the hippophagi. With the zeal of new converts 

 we gave, to all who would hear us, many good reasons 

 for believing that it is salubrious and appetising to eat 

 of horse-flesh, prepared in the varied modes with which 

 we are familiar in regard to the kinds of meat common 

 at our tables. 



Unfortunately we were not practically hippophagous ; 

 we had never tasted horse-flesh. A lady roasted us 

 unmercifully on our presumption in prescribing for the 

 public stomach an alimentary substance which had 

 never entered our own. Her ceaseless jibe was " Eat 

 a horse, and I'll believe you." We could not parry this 

 home -thrust. Being in London, we were seriously 

 meditating an excursion to the Continent in order there 

 to join in a banquet hippophagique, and so acquire that 

 experimental acquaintance with horse-flesh for lack of 

 which the lady laughed alike at our dietetic philosophy 

 and our philanthropic protestations of desire to augment 

 the food of the people. This pilgrimage was fortun- 

 ately unnecessary. We were lucky enough to be able 

 to " eat a horse" at home, with the most happy results. 



Though much laughed at, we have found imitators, 

 disposed so to become, we daresay, by having to pay 



