INTRINSIC VALUE OF A HORSE. 131 



" The lovely toy so keenly sought 

 Has lost its charms by being caught " 



by him. 



But the price of a hunter is materially affected by the 

 quality as well as the qualifications of his rider, whose 

 position in the world often confers upon his horses a 

 fictitious value ; and accordingly the hunting stud of the 

 late Sir Eichard Sutton — sold by public auction shortly 

 after his death — realised sums exceeding by at least 40 

 per cent, what subsequently proved to be their current 

 value when transferred to the stables of people of less 

 renown. 



Again, a respectable, first-rate horse dealer succeeds in 

 his profession, not so much by his superior knowledge of 

 the animals he buys, but by the quantity and quality of 

 the eloquence he exerts in selling them. Every hunter, 

 therefore, that is purchased from a great man of this 

 description is necessarily composed of, 1st, his intrinsic 

 value; and 2nd, of the anecdotes, smiles, compliments, 

 and praises, which, although when duly mixed up with 

 an evident carelessness about selling him, captivated the 

 listener to purchase him, like a bottle of uncorked ardent 

 spirits evaporate, or, like a swarm of bees, fly away, almost 

 as soon as the transaction is concluded, leaving f behind 

 them nothing but the animal's intrinsic value. 



I 2 



