256 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



Wharton had been privately backed very heavily 

 by a number of wealthy Englishmen. 



At first the report was generally disbelieved. 

 Then suddenly it became known that the famous 

 Duke of Monmouth was to ride the "dark" 

 horse in the big race, and at once the owners of 

 the foreign favourites became seriously alarmed. 



That they had good ground for their alarm 

 was soon proved by the duke's steering the 

 English horse to victory, apparently with great 

 ease. 



Immediately, so we are told, Louis XIV. cried 

 out in an access of enthusiasm that he must 

 obtain possession of Wharton's horse at any cost. 

 Upon Wharton's informing him that the horse 

 was not for sale, Louis immediately offered to 

 pay "the animal's weight in gold." Thereupon 

 Wharton relented — though not in the way that 

 Louis had expected him to : 



"I will not sell the horse," he said, "no, not 

 even for its weight in gold. If, however, your 

 Majesty will do me the honour to accept it as a 



gift — " 



But so generous a proposal Louis flatly declined 

 to entertain, and eventually the horse did not 

 change hands at all. For some weeks after- 

 wards the principal topic of conversation through- 

 out France and part of England was the great 

 race. Indeed it is probable that this single race 

 and the talk that followed it served to stimulate 



