6 HORSE-RACING IN FRANCE 



Meute, and passed along the highroad in the direction of St. 

 Cloud. Turning, however, off to the right, within the enclosure 

 of the main thoroughfare which leads back to the Chateavi of 

 Madrid, they came on at this spot neck and neck. Prince d'Har- 

 court was attired in a grey overcoat, made exceedingly tight for 

 the occasion, with a round close cap, in which all his hair was 

 rolled up, and carried three pounds of lead in his pockets to 

 weigh as much as Plessis du Vernet, the riding-master, who 

 took the place and rode the horse of the Duke de Joyeuse. 

 But upon reaching the Madrid [a place so called in the Bois de 

 Boulogne] they rode past the Sieur Dauphin, who was awaiting 

 them at that place on horseback. According to their paction 

 [agreement] the [sic] Plessis took the lead, and coming in about 

 a hundred feet before his antagonist at the barrier of La Muette, 

 was declared the winner. Many of the Court personages were 

 present. 



If no mistake have been made by the author and 

 the translator of this extract, or by one or the other, 

 the diet of the horses may be a matter of wonder, but 

 the ' pact ' is more wonderful by far ; the swindle is as 

 incomprehensible as it was apparently barefaced. 



Here is a little anecdote about another horse race, 

 an ' international ' race, open to horses of all countries. 

 It was run in 1683 at Acheres or St. Germain-en-Laye, 

 ' before the eyes of ladies and of kings ; ' the Grand 

 Monarque gave a plate of 1,000 pistoles for the winner ; 

 and it was won by England's representative, the cele- 

 brated Duke of Monmouth, who rode a gelding belong- 

 ing to the Hon. Thomas Wharton. After the race the 

 King wished to purchase the English gelding, and 

 offered to give ' the weight of the horse in gold.' But 

 the Hon. T. Wharton, in the spirit of Araunah, the 

 Jebusite, when dealing with King David, would not sell, 

 but would gladly have made King Louis a present of 

 the horse. This King Louis, in the spirit of King 

 David when dealinij with Araunah, refused ; but, as 



