GENTLEMEN COACHMEN. 373 



one thousand years, was a sprig of the wild olive tree 

 entwined round his brow for having gained a victory at 

 the Olympic games ; or in other words, for having proved 

 himself either the best coachman, or as having produced 

 the best horsed chariot of his day. This sprig of olive, 

 however, was accompanied by other most extravagant 

 marks of distinction ; and the wearer of it was not satis- 

 fied with statues, inscriptions, altars, and sacrifices during 

 his life-time, but the immortal Pindar (or some other 

 great poet) was called upon to hand him down to pos- 

 terity in an ode, for which, no doubt, he was made to 

 ' pay the piper ' well. Every gentleman has cast his eye 

 over those songs of triumph, 1 which are unfortunately the 

 only existing evidence of his sublime muse. One of his 

 commentators gives him no small praise for raising so 

 many beauties from such trivial hints, and for kindling so 

 great a flame with so little fuel ; whilst another says 

 it is vain to imitate him ! Let us sportsmen, however, 

 remember, that the fire of Pindar's muse, which warmed 

 and dazzled Greece, shone forth in honour of coachmen, 

 jockeys, runners, wrestlers, and prize-fighters. 



I am not going to bore my readers with a long dis- 

 sertation on this subject, but shall merely describe to 

 some of my brother whips, who may not have known 

 them before, the origin and end of these pastimes ; and I 

 will do so in as few words as I can. 



The Olympic games were established God knows 



1 It is supposed that in the banqueting room at Olympia, in which the 

 winners were entertained, these complimentary odes were sung in their 

 presence by a chorus, accompanied by instrumental music. 



