THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 123 



Heaven alone can save her from sharing the fate of 

 empires since the world began, — the downfall which 

 the refinement of luxury, and its train, entailed on 

 Home ; the too cert lin consequences of that restless 

 spirit, that proneness to discontent, inherent in the 

 human breast, which causes men, for the sake of " keep- 

 ing moving," to catch at any idea of improvement, 

 however chimerical — to disregard the timidity of the 

 wary, and, like 



" Fools, rush on where angels fear' J to tread." 



We have little or nothing to do with politics, but 

 when we utter the heartfelt sentiment, " May fox-hunt- 

 ing flourish a thousand years hence," — convinced that 

 it is intimately connected with the internal welfare and 

 happiness of our once merry, still happy, and prosper- 

 ous country, — we cannot but shudder at the view of 

 any measures calculated to drain to the source the 

 very springs of its existence, to dry up the fountains by 

 which it is supported, to change our habits and pursuits, 

 transform the rural soil into one vast gridiron, and 

 render us literally, what Napoleon termed us, a " mere 

 nation of shopkeepers/' — Our maxim must be that of 

 my old favourite Horace — 



" Dona prsesentis cape Ifetus horae, et 



Linque severa." 



Let us be thankful that fox-hunting is such as it is 

 in our time. We will not inquire whether it ever 

 was better, but trust that it will remain as good. 



