LITERARY AND CLERICAL HORSEMEN 285 



liberality of this county, where everybody can ride as 

 soon as they are born, that they tolerate me at all. 



c The horse u Calamity," whose name has been 

 thus introduced, TTHS the firstborn of several young 

 horses bred on the farm, who turned out very fine 

 creatures, and gained him great glory even amongst 

 the knowing farmers of Yorkshire ; but this first 

 production was certainly not encouraging. A huge, 

 lank, large-boned foal appeared, of chestnut colour 

 and with four white legs. It grew apace, but its 

 bones became more and more conspicuous ; its appe- 

 tite was unbounded grass, hay, corn, beans, food 

 moist and dry, were all supplied in vain, and vanished 

 down his throat with incredible rapidity. He stood 

 a large, living skeleton, with famine written in his 

 face, and my father christened him " Calamity.' 3 As 

 " Calamity " grew to maturity he was found to be as 

 sluggish in disposition as his master was impetuous 5 

 so my father was driven to invent his patent " Tan- 

 talus," which consisted of a small sieve of corn 

 suspended on a semicircular bar of iron, from the 

 end of the shafts, just beyond the horse's nose. The 

 corn rattling as the vehicle proceeded, stimulated 

 " Calamity " to unwonted exertions ; and under the 

 hope of overtaking this imaginary feed, he did more 

 work than all the previous provender which had 

 been poured down his throat had been able to obtain 

 from him. 5 1 



1 By Lady Holland Memoir of the Rev. Sydney Smith. 



