A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH TURF. 



The Wife of Bath. 

 From the Ellesmere Chaucer. 



Establishments" of Algernon Percy, fifth Duke of 

 Northumberland. In this nobleman's stud we find : 

 four palfreys for my lady and her women ; four hobys 

 or nags (probably small Irish hacks) for my lord and 

 his men ; seven " great trotting horses for the 

 chariott ; " one nag for the outrider ; one horse for 

 Lord Percy the heir; one '' great double (i.e. stallion) 

 trotting horse, or curtal," to ride on "out of townes ;" 

 one trotting " gambaldynge " horse, to ride for 

 parade " in townes ;" one ambling horse for daily 

 work, no doubt like the "ambler" upon which the 

 XVife of Bath, whose costume astride is so engaging 

 in the Kllesmere manuscript, sat so easily long 

 before; one " proper amblynge little nag" for hawk- 

 ing and hunting ; one " great amblynge and trotting gelding " to carry armour ; one 

 " clothsek horse " for personal luggage. 



Hut in another two years more an event occurred which seems to have enabled 

 English breeders to turn the corner after their disastrous experiences in the last 

 century. On the 2Oth of March, 1514, the Marquis of Mantua sent over a present 

 of some of his best thoroughbreds to Hampton Court ; they were the Allobello and 

 Governatorc to whom I have already referred, and from them, and subsequent drafts 

 of similar Eastern blood, was no doubt recruited the sixteenth century stock of 

 English racers. One of them was a bright bay, the right colour for a Mantuan barb, 

 and Henry VIII. wrote in July from Eltham, to express in the most glowing terms 

 his gratitude to the Marquis for so valuable an addition to the Royal stud. Hy 

 1517 several further importations from the famous stables of Francesco Gonzaga had 

 reached England ; other sources were eagerly tapped by the enthusiastic monarch ; 

 and Ferdinand of Arragon sent him over two high bred " barbs " from Spain. At 

 about the same time a stallion which had come from Urbino was standing at 

 Hampton Court, and was no doubt used by Cardinal Wolsey to breed from. Hy 

 1526 the Royal stables were so full, that the King was able to send Francis I. a 

 present of no less than eighteen horses. Thirteen years later the gap was more than 

 filled by the Imperial gift of five-and-twenty Spanish horses from Charles the Fifth. 

 When I have added that the Venetian ambassador noticed King Henry " gambling 

 with the French hostages to the amount, occasionally, of from six to eight thousand 



