GENTLEMEN NO TRADESMEN. 189 



some so situated, who, from having been accustomed 

 to drive their own four-in-hand, have derived a good 

 income from becoming stage- coachmen : the Brighton 

 and Bath roads particularly boasted several. I know 

 one, and one only, who for some time hunted a pack 

 of fox-hounds : but these are a few out of hundreds, 

 perhaps thousands, who have found they could not 

 make their knowledge of horses or horse pursuits 

 available in any beneficial pecuniary point of view. 

 It may be supposed that such men, with all their 

 experience and knowledge, might, if they made up 

 their minds to such a degradation, commence busi- 

 ness as horse-dealers, livery-stable keepers, commis- 

 sion-stable keepers, or repository keepers : they might 

 certainly commence; but before they can promise 

 themselves to go on in any one of these undertakings 

 with any chance of success, they must forget or set 

 at naught every sentiment they have from infancy 

 been taught to cherish, and obliterate from their 

 minds all the high-wrought and sensitive feelings of 

 the gentleman. No qualified aberration of them will 

 do : no, it must be an utter annihilation of them. 



It will be said that this total dereliction of all 

 former habits and feelings it is impossible for a gen- 

 tleman to effect. I know it is ; and for that reason, 

 if he was to commence trade, he would not succeed 

 in it. I never yet met with or heard of any gentle- 

 man who ever did, and I will venture to predict 

 that no one ever will at all events in any of the 

 trades or occupations I have mentioned; and in all 

 probability a sportsman is still less adapted to trade 

 of any other kind. It is not to be supposed that a 

 liberal education militates against a man learning any 

 business ; quite the reverse ; it would probably assist 



