24 NIMROD'S HUNTING TOUR 



patronage of Lord Berwick, and so on to Meriden — finding himself 

 in possession of an extent of country of nearly seventy miles, running 

 parallel with the old Eoman road. Some years afterwards, having a 

 son and heir, and a settled estate, his friends advised him to give up 

 his hounds, and his country was divided between the Earl of Craven, 

 Sir Richard Puleston, and Col. Wardle ; Mr. Ward occasionally 

 hunting part of Warwickshire. His son, however, dying, and his 

 estate being once more open, he again became a master of hounds, 

 taking possession of Warwickshire, and continuing it till the period 

 alluded to. 



Although no man performed the duties of life more correctly than 

 Mr. Corbet, yet he was wrapped up in his hounds. His mind was 

 tuith them, although corporeally absent, as the following anecdote will 

 prove. He had lost his hounds one day, as also had a friend of 

 mine who was out with them ; and as he was riding in search of 

 them, he was passed by Mr. Corbet at a pretty slapping pace, when 

 he exclaimed, " Pray, don't ride over the hounds, you will only spoil 

 your own sport." The hounds were not within five miles of him at 

 the time ! It was wonderful, nevertheless, how he would make his 

 appearance at the end of a run, without perhaps ever seeing a 

 hound, as he would not ride over the fences. 



In society Mr. Corbet was a most cheerful and entertaining 

 companion, and often said a good thing. I was once present, when 

 an anecdote was told of a gentleman having purchased a pack of 

 fox- hounds ; but on their arrival at his kennel his wife went into 

 fits, in which she continued till the hounds were sent back again to 

 their original owner. " If my wife had done so," said Mr. Corbet, 

 " I would never have kissed her again till she took oh" her night-cap, 

 and cried Tally-ho ! " 



During many years that Mr. Corbet hunted in Warwickshire, he 

 rented a house within a mile of Stratford-on-Avon, called Clopton 

 House — a substantial old mansion, suitable to his' large establishment; 

 but his hounds and horses were kept in the town of Stratford. 

 When the country round Shrewsbury was vacant, which often 

 happened, Mr. Corbet began the season there ; but never failed 

 being in Warwickshire by the fifth of November ; on which day, if 

 not on a Sunday, his hounds met at some favorite covert. A day or 



