ANALOGOUS CASES. 45 



" Well said, my friend ; if you have not, as I 

 foretold, currycombed me, you have my horse with 

 no light hand/^ 



"Alter your term, my good fellow,'' said I, 

 " and you will be right : I have said little or 

 nothing against your horse, but I allow a good 

 deal against your hunter ; but as you compliment 

 me by asking my opinion of hunters, I will write 

 something for you on that subject/' 



I did so to the following purport. 



Supposing a man to determine to become a 

 regular hunting-man, and that he has time, health, 

 nerve, and money to enable him to become such, 

 he must first secure his stud. Many persons may 

 naturally say, that "before he gets the stud he 

 should learn to ride them." This seems a quaint, 

 and somewhat stringent, observation, I admit; 

 but I shall attempt to answer it by supposing a 

 case of quite a different character. 



A girl or novice wishes to become a proficient 

 on an instrument ; it certainly is not necessary to 

 purchase the best that money can get, while she is 

 merely thrumming the gamut ; but a certain pro- 

 ficiency being obtained, it would not do to prac- 

 tise fine and difficult pieces on a poor instrument, 

 if we wished the pupil to cultivate a chaste ear, 

 as well as good execution. 



It is somewhat thus Avith a man wishing to 

 become a hunting rider. It is quite true that 



