234 HUNTING, 



renowned in song and story, and the sport was glorious. In 

 the famous library at Althorp there are some interesting manu- 

 script records of the history of the hunt, from which Mr. Clarke 

 was allowed to make extracts. They date from the year 1773, 

 when John, Earl Spencer, kept the hounds, and also a most 

 minute diary of the sport. On October 23 of that year there 

 seems to have been a red-letter day thus recorded : 



Out : Lord Spencer, Lord Jersey, Lord Robert Spencer, 

 Mr. Bouverie, Mr. Knightley, Mr. Hanbury, Mr. Percival, Colonel 

 Burgoyne, c. Threw off with the old hounds at. Bagbrooke Hills. 

 Found quite at the extremity of the cover. The fox took a circle 

 round the hill and over the open field to the Dirt House Cover, 

 through which he ran. He then made for the thorns on the edge 

 of the turnpike road, back over the other side of the same open 

 field, in view of the company up the hill, into the cover, where he 

 was first found, and where, after some little check, a hound was 

 seizing him, but was whipped off by Dick Knight, and he got to 

 ground. A fresh fox then jumped up, went into the inclosure, 

 crossed the brook, through the thorns before mentioned, over the 

 high road, bearing down the ground to the left. He then passed 

 over the same brook to Lichborough Springs, by the edge of Grub's 

 Copse, without daring to go into it. Keeping on in a line for Tow- 

 cester, till he came within two miles of it, when he returned to the 

 right, and within the distance of two or three grounds was killed 

 in a turnip field. This was a very pleasing chase, having a great 

 deal of steady running and excellent hunting; but the strong inclo- 

 sures at the first starting off prevented part of the company from 

 seeing the whole of it. An old fox:. 



This Dick Knight, who seems generally to have been 

 spoken of as ' Mr.' Knight, is not to be confounded with his 

 namesake of a later day, the one mentioned above. The real, 

 the historic ' Dick,' was a great character in hunting tradition. 

 He seems to have been famous rather as a rider than a hunts- 

 man ; at least his virtues must have mostly lain the former way. 

 ' The Druid ' thus describes him : * 



He was a fine horseman, and was magnificently mounted, but 

 he had no practice. He thought he knew better than the hounds, 



1 The Post and the Paddock, ch. xiv. 



