THE TURF IN ELIZABETH'S REIGN 177 



the ''gentleman tryers," apparently was "Win 

 honestly if possible but win." 



In Elizabeth's reign it was not customary to 

 run important races for cups. Nearly all the 

 " big " races were for " specie," or else for a silver 

 bell sometimes for both. Silver bells awarded 

 as prizes over three hundred years ago are, it is 

 said, still to be seen in some old country houses 

 and in some museums, but though I have tried I 

 have not been able to discover the whereabouts 

 of any of them. 



In 1603 the Earl of Essex offered a snaffle 

 made of gold as a prize to be run for at a race 

 meeting held near Salisbury, and at about the 

 same time it was proposed that " race gatherings" 

 should take place near Salisbury at fixed intervals. 



The latter suggestion, though strongly resented 

 by "a number of Salisbury gentlemen" who 

 presumably were under the impression that to 

 establish a race course near their town must 

 necessarily prove demoralising to the townsmen, 

 was eventually adopted, the queen having, so it 

 was said, brought her influence to bear in favour 

 of the proposal. 



We may approximately estimate the value of 

 horses of a particular stamp at about this time 

 from an inventory that was drawn up in 1572 of 

 the effects of the second Earl of Cumberland of 

 Skipton Castle. 



Therein we find a stoned horse called Young 



