70 CHACUN A SON METIER. 



one. Now if a perversity and fallacy of idea on a 

 particular point constitutes monomania, most certainly 

 nine men out of ten who drive are labouring under 

 this infirmity ; for they all consider themselves fully 

 competent to the task they undertake. It is singular 

 enough, that though hundreds of men who ride on 

 horseback quite willingly allow they are very in- 

 different horsemen, you will rarely find a man who 

 drives a gig that does not conceive he does it as well 

 as it can be done, or who for one moment thinks he is in 

 danger from his ignorance. No doubt there is no great 

 exertion of art required to sit in a gig, hold the reins, 

 and guide a steady horse the way you wish him to 

 go ; but even in this humble attempt at coachmanship, 

 the way it is done would, to a practised eye, at once 

 show, that, while one man would be capable of greater 

 things, another in fact was not capable of the little he 

 did attempt. It is true a man may drive one horse 

 well, but be by no means a pair-horse coachman : the 

 latter may also drive his pair well, but be quite astray 

 with four : but whether with one horse, a pair, a 

 unicorn, or regular team before him, the coachman is 

 to be detected at once : his manner of taking up his 

 reins and seating himself would be quite sufficient for 

 the purpose. Of this our friend Mr. Swiggins could not 

 be convinced by all the men in Europe : he can drive 

 as fast as any man (such men mostly do) : he has no 

 fear of turning a corner at the rate of fourteen miles 

 an hour (such men never have) : he gets off safe 

 for a time ; hits the swing-bar of the leader of some 

 coach in so doing, turns round, and smiles, while 

 that smile says, as plain as a smile can say, " Ain't I 

 doing it ?" 



Now, though I consider that it takes a much longer 



