142 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book IX. 



gentleman. Peace to his ashes : Honour to his name. "" 

 He is not even mentioned in any of our Biographical 

 Works. Such is Fame. 



In a comedy called the " Merry Beggars or Jovial Crew," 



1 64 1, it was spoken " shall we make a fling to London, and see 



c 1641 how the spring appears there in Spring Gardens 



Charles I. and in Hyde Park, to see the races, horse and 



Hyde Park. f-QQ^. p " 



Races in Hyde Park are referred to in an okl 

 satirical tract, entitled " A Character of England : as it was 

 lately presented in a Letter to a Noble man of 

 France," published in London, 1659, duodecimo, 

 (^6 pages. The writer attributes to the verdure of the country 

 and the delicious downs in it, the pre-eminence it enjoyed in 

 bowling-greens and race-courses. 



" About this time the Duke of Buckingham's Helm.sley 

 Turk, and the Morocco barb, were brought to England and 

 greatly improved the breed of horses."— Lawrence, " History 

 of Horse." 



Durino- the reign of Charles L the dramatists 



of the period occasionally allude to the Turf. Thus 



in Shirley's comedy of " Hide Parke "f the 



c. 1637. Dj^amatis Personce included jockeys, runners, 



Charles I. ... 



riders, gamesters, pedestrians, etc. hi limine 

 the plot lay thus : Venture, Rider, and Fairfield are 

 suitors to Mrs. Caroll, who treats them all with scorn ; 

 Fairfield comes to take leave of her, and requests 



* State Papers, Dom., Car. I., et Interreg., MS., P.R.O. ; A. Wood, 

 Athae., Oxon. ; MS., Tanner, Bod. Lib., Oxon. ; Gary's Memorials ; White- 

 locke's Memorials ; Hudson's Narative ; Hemingford, Tom. II. ; Kennet ; 

 Sir William Dugdale's Diary ; Sir James Turner's Memoirs ; Lilly's 

 Hist, of his Life and Times. 



t " Hide Parke, A Comedie, As it was presented by her Majesties at 

 the private house in Dniry Lane. Written by James Shirley. London 

 etc. 1637." etc. 



