THE HORSEMEN 51 



hands.' So in the name of God we set out. The 

 north-east Avind was piercing as a sword, and had 

 driven the snow into such uneven heaps that the 

 main road was not passable. However, we kept 

 on on foot or on horseback, till we came to the 

 White Lion at Grantham" — from whence Mr. 

 Wesley continued his journey to Ep worth, his 

 birthplace, in Lincolnshire. 



Wesley's economy of time and his methods 

 when riding are indicated in an interesting way 

 in his observations on horsemanship : — 



" I went on sloA\'ly, through Staffordshire and 

 Cheshire, to Manchester. In this journey, as well 

 as in many others, I observed a mistake that 

 almost universally prevails ; and I desire all 

 travellers to take good notice of it, which may 

 save them both from trouble and danger. Near 

 thirty years ago 1 was thinking, ' How is it that 

 no horse ever stumbles while I am reading ? ' 

 (History, poetry, and philosophy, I commonly 

 read on horseback, having other employment at 

 other times.) No account can possibly be given 

 but this— because when I throw the reins on his 

 neck, I set myself to observe : and I aver that in 

 riding above a hundred thousand miles, I scarce 

 ever remember any horse, except two, (that would 

 fall head over heels any way,) to fall, or make a 

 considerable stumble, while I rode with a slack 

 rein. To fancy, therefore, that a tight rein pre- 

 vents stumbling is a capital blunder. I have 

 repeated the trial more frequently than most 

 men in the kingdom can do. A slack rein will 



