THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



the funeral games of Patroclus ; and where, although the worst 

 horsed of the lot, he was only beaten by a length i For myself, 

 although no coachman beyond driving my father's curricle, I 

 like to listen to these discussions by men who understand the 

 thing well, and none others are worth listening to. If ^schylus 

 had not bled on the plains of Marathon, he could not have cele- 

 brated on the stage the triumphs of his country.' 



Sir John. — ' There is no small degree of mechanical science, 

 as well as knowledge of the laws of motion, to be learnt in our 

 line, eh. Jack ? ' 



Jack Webber. — ' Indeed, Inkleton, there is ; and many a life 

 has been lost for the want of such knowledge — in descending 

 hills, and turning corners, especially. If they were aware how 

 motion is accelerated by the continuance of the impetus in one 

 case, and in the other, that, — as by the laws of nature, all 

 bodies put in motion by one power will proceed in a straight 

 line, unless compelled to change their course by some force 

 impressed, — any sudden deviation from that course disturbs the 

 centre of gravity in proportion to its suddenness, they would be 

 more careful than they are. I could have told you all about 

 these matters when I left Cambridge ; but when I used to see a 

 passenger on my coach amusing himself with watching the shot 

 from the fore-wheel, which, on certain parts of our road, would 

 rise to a considerable height, whilst I was springing them, I 

 would say to myself, " that fellow little thinks he is taking a 

 lesson in conic-sections, and that the parabola and their pro- 

 perties, which those bits of dirt are describing, are the foundation 

 of gunnery." ' 



Frank Raby. — ' Why, Jack, you are becoming scientific' 



Jack Webber. — ' Not much of that ; but if some cleverer fellow 

 than myself were to put these few points before road coachmen, 

 in plain English, and in a small tract, published at a low price, 

 the travelling public would be great gainers.' 



Hong Jit 071. — ' Whilst on the subject of science, I wish a patho- 

 meter could be used to enable us to judge of the sufferings of 

 horses in coaches that travel so fast, and in which long stages 

 are run with very indifierent horses.' 



Jack Webber. — ' I think the suffering of coach-horses is be- 

 coming less every year. In the first place, they are of a better 

 description of horse than formerly, which very much reduces it ; 

 secondly, they are much higher fed ; and, lastly, stages are much 



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