1 86 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



father) on a respectable heavy coach. He there learns 

 the rudiments of his business. He is taught to know 

 when a horse is at work, and when he is not ; and he is 

 also taught how to make the best of the road. He sees 

 when his horses are distressed, and is taught how to 

 ease them ; or, if idle, how to keep them to their collar. 

 It is heavy zvork alone that will teach him his busi- 

 ness : I never saw a post-boy that ever made a good 

 coachman. 



When a boy who intends being a coachman gets too 

 big to ride the leaders, he cannot do better than turn 

 horse-keeper to a well-horsed coach. His time will be 

 fully occupied, and he will learn everything relating to 

 harnessing, and putting horses together, according to 

 their different tempers ; taking notice of the alteration 

 the coachman makes in their coupling reins, which he 

 will profit by, if he have any brains in his head ; and if 

 he have none, he must remain a horse-keeper. 



Mr. Beckford enumerates about a dozen qualifications 

 necessary to make a good huntsman. In my humble 

 opinion, there are as many essentials to a good coachman. 

 He should be sober, honest, civil, and good-tempered; 

 clean in his person, neat with his fingers, patient, 

 humane, wakeful, hardy, strong, active, bold, and cool 

 in danger. Having said this, we are not to expect a 

 coachman at every stage. Carthage produced but one 

 Hannibal ! 



I believe it is Ovid who tells us, that ' work well 

 begun is half finished ; ' and this holds good in nothing 

 more than in driving. If horses are not well harnessed, 



