CHARLES II. ENTERTAINS JOCKEYS 253 



Carr, dated the 24th day of March 1675, 

 we read that " Yesterday his majestie rode 

 himself three heats and a course and won 

 the Plate, all fower were hard and nere run, 

 and I doe assure you the King wonn by good 

 Horseman Ship." 



Descriptions are to be found elsewhere of a fox 

 hunt in which the king took part. It took place 

 some twenty miles from Newmarket. That was 

 in 1680, and apparently no fox hunt in King 

 Charles's reign had before been described in 

 writing. 



Yet the king, though partial to hunting, was 

 undoubtedly much fonder of racing. It was in 

 this year — the year 1680 — that he entertained at 

 Newmarket the vice-chancellor and the dons of 

 the University of Cambridge, and, as well, all 

 the jockeys who had ridden at the meeting. 



Whether vice - chancellor, dons and jockeys 

 were all entertained by the king at the same 

 time is not stated, though we are led to infer 

 that they must have been. Charles, as students 

 of history know, was cosmopolitan to the back- 

 bone, and not ashamed of the fact. Ever a 

 practical joker, he is known to have taken delight 

 that was almost boyish in bringing together an 

 assemblage of persons whose sentiments, views 

 and tastes he knew to be in every way dissimilar. 



The companionship of jockeys appealed to him 

 at all times, and the year after he had entertained 



