CHAPTER XV 



STRAIGHT TALKS ON HUNT SUBSCRIPTIONS- 

 ENTHUSIASM OF NEW BLOOD— THE STATUS 

 OF SHIRE AND PROVINCE 



" 'Tis the first of November ! all hail to the season 

 The first of November, right welcome the day ! 

 Far, sacred Diana, from Nimrod the treason 

 Of taking thy gifts without owning thy sway. 



Sweet goddess ! what muse can most fittingly sing thee; 

 What crescent thy lovely brow worthily grace ? 



Our cubs — bless their brushes ! the farmer has nourished, 

 Our puppies his gudewife most lovingly reared. 



The nags fit and fresh from the meadow and boxes — 

 The men, proud as peacocks, in liveries new — 



Oh ! happy array, servants, hounds, horses, foxes, 

 Oh ! thrice happy master of such a review ! 



See yonder the meet, right and left hearty faces, 



Leathers, cords — black and red — all are smiling and bland ; 



Hunters, foot people, tandems, hacks, village carts, chaises, 

 And, the pink of perfection, the neat four-in-hand. 



Such a meeting of friends that have ' not met for ages,' 

 Old goers and young ones, the shufflers, the crack, 



While the hounds in a corner sit silent as sages. 

 Twelve couple of beauties, the sweet lady pack ! " 



— Bailys Magazhie. 



Startling as the statement may seem, we will 

 suppose that some hunts are blessed with a super- 

 fluity of cash, while others (the majority) are at 



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