Book I.] PROGRESS OF THE TURF. 23 



"Running-horses," observes Strutt, "are frequently men- 

 tioned in the registers of the royal expenditure. It is 

 notorious," he adds, " that King John was so fond of swift 

 horses and dogs for the chase, that he received many of his 

 fines in one or the other ; but at the same time, it does not 

 appear that he used the horses for any purpose of pleasure 

 beyond the pursuits of hunting, hawking, and such like sports 

 of the field." * King John was a large importer of horses 

 of Eastern breed, of which many are mentioned as having 

 been purchased by him, in the Misoe and other rolls of his 

 reign. 



Fitz Stephen mentions horse-races as having occurred in 

 Smithfield in the reign of Henry II. But it is probable these 

 were more in the nature of tests, preparatory to sales, than 

 regular organized meetings, and do not apply to the Turf in 

 a modern sense. However, the earliest description of a 

 horse-race, /^-r se, that we have discovered, took place in 1377. 

 Unfortunately the locality where it took place is not men- 

 tioned. The horses in question belonged to the Prince of 

 Wales (afterwards Richard II.) and the Earl of Arundel — 

 owners up. It is described as follows by the Marquis de 

 Saluces (a contemporary writer) in a unique manuscript 

 formerly preserved in the Royal Library, Paris : — 



" Un jour li Roy une feste faisoit 



De son filz qui chevalier faire vouloit, 



Lk, faisoit courer les destriers, 



Et si y avoit joiaulz chiers, 



Qui devoient estre cellui 



Qui avoit meilleur cheval o lui, 



Et qui mieulx seroit courant 



Et aux joiaulz plus tost venant. 



Lk furent assemblez 



Tous les destriers de mains contriez. 



Le filz le Roy y fu mesmement, 



Qui bien cuidoit estre gangnant 



Car cuidoit avoir meilleur destrier 



Que on peut nulle part trouver ; 



Mais au derrein ce fu pour ndant, 



Que Bovez fut trestous passant 



* " Rural Sports," book i., chap, iii., sect. 6. 



