114 A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH TURF. 



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accident of Parliament being called to meet that year in what was hoped would be the 

 calmer atmosphere of Oxford, as it had refused to vote supplies at Westminster ; but 

 the feeling ran rather high at the time, even in a place so far removed from London, 

 on the burning question of " No Popery " ; so the King endeavoured to divert 

 popular attention to the races, and even got his friends to enter their horses at 

 Burford for the spring meeting, instead of at Newmarket, where, as has been seen, 

 the autumn meeting was brilliant enough to compensate for this enforced absence 

 during the earlier months. Both Burford and Oxford filled to overflowing : every 

 stall and every bedroom was crammed ; and racing soon asserted its superiority so 

 decisively over politics that the Parliament, still recalcitrant, was once more dissolved. 

 Those who objected, some two hundred years later, to the House adjourning for the 

 Derby clay, had certainly some natural prejudice against the precedents, for Parlia- 

 ment never sat again in the reign of Charles II., who was very pleased to omit all 

 reference to their behaviour in his conversations with Lord Clarendon (the son of the 

 great Chancellor) at Cornbury, where he stayed, just as George IV., when he was 

 Prince of Wales, stayed a century later for the same meeting with Lord Sherburne. 

 Racing, however, was all the more successful ; and among the owners who supported 

 it were Sir Ralph Dutton, Mr. Norton, that pair of keen sportsmen, Mr. Rowe and 

 Mr. Griffin (whose roan horse won a plate here during his absence), with many 

 others. According to Baskervill (who has forgotten the date) one of the plates was 

 won by Black Sloven. 



" Next for the glory of this place," writes this poetic traveller, 



" Here has been rode many a race. 

 Such aparitions here apeer 

 As are not seen everywhere. 

 King Charles the 2* I saw here 

 But I've forgotten in what yeer. 

 The Duke of Monmouth here also 

 Made his horse to swet and blow 

 Lovelace, Pembrook and other gallants, 

 And Nicholas Bainton on Black Sloven 

 Got silver plate. By labour and drudging 

 Sutlers bring ale, tobacco, wine 

 And, this present, haue a fair time. 

 So at last a golden shower . 

 Into Burford town dos power." 



The excellence of the Burford saddlers is praised by Richard Blome. In 1673 

 and 1679 the London Gazette contains a reminder that subscriptions for the Plate 



