THE TURF IN JAMES I.'S REIGN 209 



make away with them before the date of the next 

 meeting ! 



At the Chester Meeting, and therefore pre- 

 sumably elsewhere, the sheriff acted as starter, 

 " and if any rider committed foul play during the 

 race he was disqualified in case he won." 



About the year 1624, however, certain changes 

 were made in the rules of racing, and from that 

 time onward some of the races were run five 

 times round the course instead of only three 

 times, also the winner of a cup became entitled 

 to retain it as his property " upon the first 

 occasion of gaining it." 



Professional jockeys in the reign of James I. 

 held, in a sense, quite a good position. The 

 king associated with them frequently, especially 

 at Newmarket. Indeed, he openly admitted that 

 he preferred the company of sportsmen to that 

 of politicians, and that the surroundings of the 

 racecourse and the pleasures of the chase attracted 

 him far more than did the business of the state. 



His enemies, as we know, took advantage of 

 these carelessly uttered assertions when later 

 they set to work to encompass his downfall, 

 and during the closing years of his reign he 

 was made to suffer unjustly for many of the 

 minor follies of his youth. 



It was wholly characteristic of James that he 

 should upon one occasion he was staying at 

 Croydon at the time in order to attend the 



