THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



manners, in other respects, became more refined. Even tlie 

 excellent and humane Titus encouraged all such exhibitions 

 of science and manly courage ; and we find Pliny, in his pane- 

 gyric on the still more excellent Trajan, stating his belief, that 

 the public shows, exhibited at that emperor's expense, had 

 no tendency to weaken or debauch the soul ; on the con- 

 trary, that they excited the courage of the spectators ; making 

 them proud, rather than afraid of honourable scars, whilst 

 they beheld slaves thirsting after praise, inflamed with the 

 love of victory. What did Mr. Wyndham say in reference to 

 it, the other day, in the House of Commons ? — and a more 

 humane man than himself does not at this time exist. " It 

 is thought," said he, " that the prevention of conflicts between 

 inferior animals might prove prejudicial to the courage of the 

 people. In defence of this hypothesis, Britons have ever been 

 distinguished for what is called bottom or pluck. But conflicts 

 between inferior animals, and those between rational beings, 

 f^ach (IS men, bear no comparison, inasmuch as, in the one 

 case, the will of the combatant is not consulted, and he may 

 consequently be compelled to flght, not only against his 

 inclination, but likewise on unequal terms." Again, the 

 picture he presented to the champion of the British boxing- 

 ring, of the victim bleeding from the assassin's knife, and the 

 accompanying inscription, written with his own hand, show his 

 opinion in unequivocal terms. However, let me refer your 

 father and uncle to a recent charge to the grand jury by one 

 of our most distinguished judges, in my opinion highly char- 

 acteristic of the national character, and plainly intimating 

 that, if we do not encourage boxing, we must be prepared for 

 the viler practices of the stiletto, or the knife. " I cannot," 

 said his lordship, in allusion to a charge in the calendar for 

 cutting and maiming, " but express my regret that a knife 

 should have been found in the hands of an Englishman, as an 

 instrument of offensive quarrel. It was formerly the practice 

 in this country, when men fell out, to fight as long as they 

 could, and possibly to do each other as much injur}' as could 

 be inflicted by the personal strength of the combatants ; but 

 they fought in an open, fair, and honourable manner ; they 

 took no mean advantages ; they had no recourse to deadly 

 instruments to procure superiority, or to gratify revenge. I 

 will take care, so long as common assaults are punishable by 



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