CALLING THINGS BY THEIR RIGHT NAMES. 121 



ceptive, the cliances are lie lias not got a better 

 horse, and if he has, he has only increased his 

 actual eventual loss ; for, though he gave 40/. more, 

 he may hold himself lucky if the horse is 20/. 

 better than the last, so he only expended a larger 

 sum on equally disadvantageous terms. 



Men going on in tbis way deceive themselves 

 in another particular ; they fancy they are always 

 riding on hundred and fifty hunters, when in 

 reality they are riding horses that would be held 

 by good judges, and men who really ride fine 

 horses, as only fit to carry servants. Possibly, 

 after a time, they may find this to be the case : 

 they change on and on till after from first to last 

 they have by dribblets paid about 500/. for each 

 nag they possess, possibly, but not probably, they 

 do at last get a nice horse worth a third of the 

 :500/. It is the worst and the most unsatisfactory 

 way in which a man can go on in getting hunters, 

 or indeed any description of animal of the horse 

 kind. 



" Now,^^ continued I, " to go to the person you 

 bought your two horses of would be a weiy young 

 proceeding indeed. In the first place, what could I 

 say? You took two horses of him quite unfit for 

 your purpose ; the error lay with you. I have no 

 reason to doubt their being, as represented, very 

 fair steeple-chasers among their own class of 

 horses; no doubt he would take them in exchange : 



