io2 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



in other parts of his sitting-room were the following well- 

 known prints : A bitch fox and her cubs, by Sartorius ; 

 Humphreys and Mendoza in attitude ; the Phenomena 

 trotting mare ; a portrait of Eclipse, with John Oakley 

 (the only man who could ride him) on his back ; the great 

 Malay cock match ; the York " Highflyer " coach, im- 

 mortalized by Hogarth ; the London and Shrewsbury 

 mail ; Jem Howell, the celebrated coachman of Costar's 

 " Oxford and Brummagem Day," as it was then called ; 

 portraits of Bill Stuart, and Bob Dolly, with his famous 

 dog Nelson, " the cock of the Oxford walk ; " likewise 

 an excellent picture of Squires Draper and Newby, two 

 celebrated Yorkshire sportsmen, representing them in the 

 grey of the morning, opening the door of the kennel. 

 Among the books were some odd numbers of the " Racing 

 Calendar ; " the first volume of the " Stud Book," the only 

 one then published ; " Isaak Walton, on Angling ; " 

 " Peacham's Complete Gentleman ; " and some numbers 

 of the " Sporting Magazine," a periodical not of much note 

 in those days. 



In his bedroom was a good show of whips, both for 

 hunting and for the road, all made by Mr. Crowther of 

 Swallow Street, the crack man of that clay, and who sold 

 them for a crack price. 



"But were there not always crack men?" was the answer 

 Hargrave made to some one who asked him why he gave a 

 guinea for his four-horse whips, when good ones were to 

 be had for half the sum? "You may get them cheaper, 

 doubtless, but where will you get them so good ? Are 

 there more than two men in England, who can make a 

 really good hunting saddle ? " And what else was to be 

 seen in this bachelor's bedroom 1 why, not much beyond 

 what was commonly found in a gentleman commoner's 

 bed-chamber at this time, whose only object was to find 

 repose from the fatigues of the day, or to shake off the 

 fumes of bad wine. There was, however, a print of a 

 sleeping Venus, suspended against the wall, with some 

 lines of his own written under it, merely expressive of his 

 high admiration of the human form ; and, pinned to the 

 curtain of his bed, so as to be visible by him when awake, 

 the words diluculo exsurgam legibly written on a slip of 

 white paper. But there was something more than met 

 the eye of a common observer in these words. It was 

 not the mere act of early risirui, which these words imply, 



