58 THE COACHING ERA 



wish you had been at St. Mary's church yesterday, and 

 heard the strange parson preach such a beautiful sermon 

 from the text: 'A merciful man is merciful to his beast!'" 



The fellows from New College became purple from 

 suppressed laughter, Bayzand looked gently grieved; 

 the box-seat passengers said nothing, but at the next 

 change he hurriedly dismounted and went inside the 

 coach. 



"Bayzand, it was too bad of you," cried the fellows 

 from New College, trying to moderate their mirth. 



"Indeed, gentlemen. May I ask why?" said Bayzand 

 in pretended innocence. 



"You old rascal," said one of them. "You know very 

 well that was the man who preached the sermon." 



"Well, to be sure!" said John Bayzand. 



The coach reached Whitchurch on the stroke of one; 

 a circumstance which Bayzand did not fail to point out 

 to the clergyman, who said never a word, but seized his 

 bag and departed hurriedly. 



Bayzand was the last coachman to drive over Old 

 Folly Bridge, and the first to cross the new one in 1826. 

 He was known as the "Sweeper," because when going 

 down Oriel Lane he always made a long turn at the 

 corner, whilst Bill Taylor, who drove the Oxonian on 

 alternate days, cut the corner very fine, and in conse- 

 quence was called the "Scraper." 



One bitterly cold wet night, John Bayzand was driving 

 his coach over Winchester Downs, when he passed a poor 

 man scantily clad tramping along with his bundle over 

 his shoulder. 



