THE r.IFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



' He shall never have another plate on his foot,' resumed 

 our hero ; ' but I hope to see many a o-ood fox killed, on his 

 back.' 



It is written of Alcibiades, the Athenian general, that he 

 gave an entertainment to all the spectators who witnessed the 

 success of his horse in winning the three grand prizes on the 

 Olympic race-course — a snug little party, if we are to credit 

 the accounts given of the multitudes assembled on such occa- 

 sions. In liumble imitation of so memorable an example, our 

 hero gave a dinner, on the evening of his victory over Antonio, 

 at the Bull Inn, in Burford, to a large party of his acquaint- 

 ances, at which, in newspaper phraseology, 'the utmost con- 

 viviality prevailed to a very late hour ; ' not only, indeed, 

 until the cock crowed on his perch, but until the sun peeped 

 through the blood-red curtains of the bay-windowed banquet- 

 ing-room of the said Bull Inn. Champagne at a guinea a 

 bottle, and claret at fifteen shillings — the pi-ices charged to 

 some old, and to all young, gentlemen of those days, at race 

 times especially — flowed like water from the limpid stream ; 

 and devilled turkey and bishop, after the Christchurch fashion, 

 formed the topping-up of the feast. In short, there was 

 nothing wanted but another Euripides to celebrate the day by 

 an ode. 



And what were the topics of the evening 'i Racino-, and 

 nothing else, merely occasionally interrupted by a casual 

 remark on some particular toast. And what the pith of the 

 discussion ? Why, that racing was very amusing to those who 

 merely witnessed it, but, to those who engaged in its mysteries, 

 the most uncertain, general)}' unsatisfactor}', and expensive 

 pursuit that a gentleman can possibly enter into. The only 

 exception to this opinion was Fairfax (a hundred tliousand 

 pounds the worse now, by-the-ljj'e, in expectation, by his father's 

 proceedings on tlie turf, as already mentioned in these pao-es), 

 who declared tliat he thought every man who possessed money, 

 and a good head for calculation, mu.sf make money b}^ racing*-. 

 ' Then the breeding of race-horses,' added he, ' what an interest- 

 ing pursuit is that • ' 



' Interesting, indeed,' said Sii- John Inkleton : but I believe 

 the calculation is a hundred and fifty per cent, loss on 

 all thorough-bred stock, as far as their own intrinsic value 

 is concerned. What they may do when in training is another 



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