KINGSCLERE DOWNS 251 



silver threads amongst the swelling chalk hills, at 

 distances respectively of seven and five miles,' John 

 Porter has fully proved the truth of one part of 

 the old shepherd's statements. It is the abode of 

 health. In satisfaction of every requirement of his 

 vocation it is matchless. ' The Druid ' regarded 

 Ilsley, which forms part of the adjoining county of 

 Berks, as the best down-land for training purposes 

 known to him. But the author of 'Silk and Scarlet' 

 had never explored Kingsclere. A later writer, 

 enthusiastic as all of them are, pays his tribute to 

 the domain over which Porter reigns in these 

 glowing words : ' Nowhere, perhaps, are the con- 

 ditions of perfect physical health for man or animals 

 so nearly attained as in these equine Temples of 

 /Esculapius or the Kingsclere Downs, where the 

 observance of the simple and primitive canons of 

 health are supplemented by natural advantages of 

 locality unequalled in the country. The strong, 

 free air, and vast stretches of primeval turf, the ever- 

 dry surface of the chalk, and the undulating and 

 sloping contours of the ground, ensure the maximum 

 of benefit from the great health-bestowing air and 

 exercise ; and wholesome diet, regular hours, and 

 scrupulous cleanliness effect the rest.' The re- 

 mainder of the passage, albeit it refers to Park 

 House and the proprietor's system of management, 

 may just as well be cited. ' The soundest and 

 brightest oats, old and fragrant hay, and water 

 warmed with sunbeams, are the daily and delightful 

 portion of those Houyhnhnms of the nineteenth 



