CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGK 



I.— Introductory— The hero presented— Items of his birth, parentage, 

 and education; together with traits of his idiosyncrasy, Avhereby 

 'comingeventscast their shadows before' 1 



II.— The lirst great step in the Life of our ' Sportsman ' : he is entered 

 at hare.— The chapter concludes with many choice aphorisms 

 concerning the noble science, and sundry anecdotes, Avorthy of 

 being recorded in letters of gold 22 



III. —Devoted to rural scenes and characters, and combining matter of 

 amusement and instruction, with maxims of sound theory, and 

 examples well worthy of imitation 54 



IV.— The hero enters upon the stage of life, and also on another stage, 

 which, with various incidents narrated in this chapter, will be 

 found corroborative of the adage, that— 'as the twig is bent, 

 the tree's inclined ' 65 



v.— Christmas at the seat of 'a line old English gentleman,' with its 

 appropriate accompaniments— good company, good cheer, and 

 good sport ........... 79 



VI.— College life, with some sketches of men and manners at Oxford, 

 in the latter part of the eighteenth century— Bibury ]\leeting 

 in its palmy days 



89 



VII.— A trip to Ascot Races, succeeded by an inquiry into the systems 

 and methods of travelling, from the earliest ages to the golden 

 age of the road in England 110 



VIII.— Rural life in hall and field; a ball and a wound (consequences 



alike common in love and war) 139 



IX. — Two events occur, of great influence upon the career of the hero : 

 he takes his degree at Oxford, and loses his brother, whereby 

 he becomes heir to the goodly domains of Amstead . . . 154 



X. Our sportsman has now entered in earnest upon his life. He 



refuses a seat in Parliament, and studies his craft with 

 enthusiasm, opening his lirst regular hunting campaign with 

 the Warwickshire, under the celebrated Mr. Corbet, and the 



Pytchley, under the great John Warde 168 



ix 



