WOLSEY'S HORSEMANSHIP 145 



never rode in any race of any kind, also that he 

 took more active interest in the chase than in 

 the turf — such turf, that is to say, as there was 

 in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to take 

 interest in. 



Upon that point Henry VII. held views some- 

 what different from his chaplains. The spectacle 

 afforded by a horse race gave him scant gratifica- 

 tion, and as a result he did little to develop and 

 encourage horse racing or to better the condition 

 of the turf. 



Probably the only ride in the nature of a horse 

 race that did stir him into displaying enthusiasm 

 was Wolsey's race just described. This feat 

 Wolsey but rarely spoke about, save when ques- 

 tioned by friends. His technical knowledge of 

 horses is said to have been profound, so much 

 so that frequently men quite unknown to him 

 would come many miles to obtain his opinion 

 upon the condition of a sick horse, and usually 

 he was willing to tender advice even to strangers. 



Indeed his willingness to be of service when a 

 horse was in distress appears to have remained 

 one of Wolsey's marked characteristics until 

 nearly the end of his life. Historians have for 

 the most part depicted him a stern, unbending 

 man from the time he was made Cardinal ; yet he 

 is known to have performed many small acts of 

 kindness for which the world probably did not 

 give him credit. 



