1675.] THE KING AS A JOCKEY. 323 



and distinguished suite, including the Duke of York, 

 Secretary Coventry, ^^^ Sir Robert Carr, Sir Charles 11. 

 Joseph Sheldon, ^'^^ and other ministers and Newmarket, 

 officers of state. Lord ArHngton, who of March, 

 course was to the fore, arrived at Euston early in the 

 month, when reports were current that the king con- 

 templated to postpone his visit for a couple of weeks. 

 Gossip had it that Sir Robert Carr " resolved to attend 

 considerably " at the races during the meeting, and on 

 the 8th we find the doughty knight temporarily occu- 

 pying the lodgings of the principal Secretary of State 

 at Newmarket, which he promised to resign " on 

 Wednesday by ten o'clock." 



In the meantime, the king and court arrived, and 

 up to the iith Sir Robert Carr nominally had the 

 management of current affairs of state, but found the 

 king "unwilling to give him ear." Indeed, as usual at 

 Newmarket, business was got through under difficul- 

 ties. The following day Lord Arlington apologizes to 

 Mr. Secretary Williamson for want of promptitude in 

 attending to certain duties relating to his department, 

 as nothing was thought of save the success of the 

 races ; the splendid weather and the salubrity of the 

 air proved beneficial to the king's health, as it did to 

 the health and enjoyment of the Lord Chamberlain. 



Sir Robert Carr, in a despatch to Whitehall, inci- 

 dentally recorded the occurrence of one of those acci- 

 dents so frequent at public race-meetings in those 

 times, by which a previous " success " was somewhat 

 marred: — "A fellow of Jesus College," wrote Sir 

 Robert, " crossed the way \i.c. the course] flung Mr. 



