296 FOX-HUNTERS. 



suit of the glorious sport, would again rouse his cool- 

 ing passion to that enthusiasm that fox-hunters enjoy 

 more than perhaps any other class of men. Long 

 may such enthusiasm animate such men, and long 

 may such men live to feel it ! Let misanthropes rail 

 at mankind in general; let the money-loving and 

 money-seeking soul shrink into itself, and, judging by 

 that self, look on others with suspicion as cold, selfish, 

 and illiberal : grant that the ordinary run of men de- 

 serve such epithets, who ever found such degrading 

 feelings in the heart of the true fox-hunter? The 

 very fellowship of the chase forbids it. A brilliant 

 run, like a well fought field, calls forth mutual admi- 

 ration among those who have gallantly led the van, 

 and binds such gallant hearts in closest fellowship 

 over the bivouac, whether that be in the tented field 

 or in the hereditary hall handed down from ancestors, 

 who, instead of fritting away their fortunes in frivo- 

 lous pursuits among still more frivolous nations, 

 have nobly used those fortunes on their native soil, 

 and earned for themselves that best and noblest re- 

 ward, the praise and blessings of their friends and 

 countrymen as the best supporters of their parent 

 land. 



Such are fox-hunters, such are the manly and liberal 

 feelings our country sports cherish and keep alive ; 

 and next in merit to the patronisers of such sports 

 are those who hand down in imperishable memory 

 such names and such men to posterity. And who 

 contributes more to towards this than the painter, the 

 engraver, and the publisher ? True, the master mind 

 and talent of the painter justly ranks higher than the 

 mechanical imitative art of the engraver ; but we must 

 not forget that a fine picture only gratifies its pos- 



