18 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



among his friends and acquaintance. But^ inde- 

 pendent of respective general worth as individuals 

 of high position, the loss of such men as the 

 Dukes of Beaufort or Cleveland creates a hiatus 

 in the sporting world, a chasm in the kingdom, 

 not readily to be filled up. The loss of their 

 retinue and princely expenditure would he felt 

 by hundreds, and, to quote the words (but reverse 

 their meaning) of the poet I have before cited, 

 would stop the means "that many poor sup- 

 plied ; " while their high bearing but courtesy 

 in the held would ever live in the memory of all 

 who have witnessed it. Enthusiastic as I am in 

 my love of fox-hunting, candour obliges me to 

 confess, I have among men as masters of fox- 

 hounds, but of less high standing in society, seen 

 acts and heard expressions used in the field, the 

 coarseness of which all but induced a wish that 

 the pack might cease to exist in order to get rid 

 of their master. 



There are three distinct characters as masters 

 of fox-hounds, and of course an intermediate man 

 among the three. There is the judicious but 

 somewhat timid rider ; the bold, dashing, scien- 

 tific, and straight-going rider; and also the bruising 

 rider ; each quite fitted for a master of hounds. 

 I need scarcely say that among the three, "in 

 medio tutissimus ibis,^^ that is, of the three, the 

 middle one quoted approaches most the beau-ideal 



