MR. TREGONWELL FRAUPTOX A.\D lilt HORSES. 



about this time arc his triumphs over the Duke of Somerset's Wyndhatn, Sir M. 

 1'icrson's Merlin, and Mr. Frampton's Dragon. On April 22, 1713, Dragon had been 

 matched against W'yndham for three hundred guineas, and was most probably beaten, 

 lor Frampton bars this horse by name in an amusing challenge, made that September, 

 which has come down to us as follows: "Mr. Frampton that keeps the Out < 11 s 

 Running- Horses, has made a sporting proposal to three Dukes, allowing them to joyn 

 their stables, and Name to him any 6 horses or Mares (the horse called \V\ndliam 

 rxcepted) against six of his 

 MOW in his stables, and they 

 are to run for \<x> each 

 horse." The match against 

 Old Sair just mentioned may 

 well have been one of the 

 wagers resulting from this 

 "sporting proposal." In 

 October, 1712, Dragon had 

 been matched for three hun- 

 dred guineas against Lord 

 Dorchester's Wanton, a pic- 

 ture of whom, by Wootton 

 (showing a dark brown horse 

 without a white hair) is in the 

 collection at the Durdans, 

 though it is also possible that 

 this painting may represent 

 Lord March's colt of the 

 same name by Cade out of a 

 Lonsdalc Buy Arabian mare 



who was by Bay Bolton. Mr. Wildman's colt, also of the same name (by 

 Malcheni), was grey. On the whole it seems perfectly evident that Mr. 

 Frampton's Dragon grew respectably aged, as is hinted in the lines placed at the 

 head of the last chapter ..." Dragon would scow'r it, but Dragon grows old "... 

 and he grew old without any very startling successes either in the seventeenth 

 century or in later years ; either as Old Dragon or as the younger horse ; so I fear I 

 must conclude that Dr. Hawkesworth, writing so many years after the event, was 



1 'he Duke of Somerset. 



