sporting and Rural Records of the Cheveley Estate. 113 



and the latter, being anxious to participate in an undertaking so 

 profitable, sought for and discovered the other picture of Mr. 

 Frampton, which was also painted by Wootton, which they had 

 engraved by John Jones, " Engraver Extraordinary to H.R.H. the 

 Prince of Wales, and Principal Engraver to H.R.H. the Duke of 

 York." This print was published in 1791. Of course the sensa- 

 tional extract from The Adventurer was inserted underneath the 

 portrait, which was printed on the best paper and the finest satin. 

 It sold remarkably well. 



It is almost unnecessary to point out that anyone acquainted 

 with even the rudiments of making matches, or of entering and 

 running horses in races, would know that no one would be so 

 foolish as to take a horse from the stud, make a match with him 

 for _^ 1 0,000 against a mare of the highest, or almost the highest 

 class, and run the horse untrained in such a race with any 

 prospect of success. Yet this is the very thing Mr. Frampton 

 is made to do in this match. The horse wins it " by a 

 distance ! I I " The next day the horse is again matched against 

 the mare for ;^20,ooo. He is emasculated before the start, and 

 " instantly mounted and spurred on to the goal." He wins the 

 race and dies at the post. Why the whole yarn is a tissue of 

 impossibilities. 



It would be about the same time as the Dragon fiction is sup- 

 posed to have occurred that Mr. Frampton's name was bandied 

 about in connection with an alleged great match he had made to 

 run one of his horses against a horse of Sir William Strickland, 

 " a Yorkshire baronet." At the instigation of his master, Mr. 

 Frampton's groom is said, after many negotiations, to have 

 arranged with Sir William Strickland's groom to try the two 

 horses before the race, presumably at even weights. In this 

 alleged trial Mr. Frampton's horse was made to carry ylb. over- 

 weight. The other horse (by some writers called Merlin, by 

 others Rapid) also put up ylb. extra. In this "secret" trial — 

 which everyone seems to have known — Mr. Frampton's horse was 



o 



Saxton Hai.l. 



The 



Mezzotinto 



Engraving by 



Jones. 



.\n Imaginary 

 Match. 



A Doubtful 

 Match. 



