ENGLISH IDEAS OF POSTING. 25 



ing his pace, and the horse does not, it must be evi- 

 dent that they do not endure the same degree of pain 

 from the same mode of punishment, though to a by- 

 stander the brutality of the driver might appear the 

 same whether applied to the horse or the ass. Still 

 in point of fact the quantum of cruelty in the two 

 cases is very disproportionate, and is some proof that 

 we may in many instances be misled in our estima- 

 tion of cruelty by the appearance of it ; whereas, on 

 the other hand, many acts of absolute cruelty are 

 daily practised without the suffering object of them 

 exciting the slightest sympathy or commiseration. 



In reference to German postilions, I must in justice 

 mention an anecdote of one of these really queer 

 fellows that did so much honour to his heart and feel- 

 ings, that, in compliment to his nation, it ought not 

 to be omitted. A young friend of mine, who had 

 been accustomed to four merry English posters and 

 English post-boys (the generality of whom, to their 

 eternal infamy be it spoken, would at any time risk 

 killing their horses for an extra five shillings), was 

 travelling in Germany, and had paid the postilions 

 with his accustomed English profusion. He got by 

 this extra thanks and extra bows ; but an extra mile 

 within the hour was out of the question ; so he 

 determined the next stage to give the men as little as 

 he possibly could ; did so, and told them why he did 

 so : they merely shrugged their shoulders a little 

 higher than usual. Now, in England, from such bad 

 pay being told to the new postilions, he would have 

 travelled the next stage about the pace of a hearse. 

 But here he went on exactly at the same rate of going 

 he had done before. My friend stopped the drivers, 

 told them why he had paid with such parsimony, 



