124 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



sense of tiie word^ that is, embracing all tlie fine 

 qualities that constitute the character, he has 

 the certainty on his side of not being willingly 

 deceived by the seller. He may, however, be 

 inadvertently most woefully deceived in his pur- 

 chase, both on the score of goodness and pleasan- 

 try in the animal ; for neither are definite terms, 

 both depending on what a particular person calls 

 good or pleasant. In such a case, therefore, a 

 purchaser should ascertain how far his own ideas 

 and those of the seller correspond : if they do, 

 the purchase will, as far as human foresight goes, 

 be sure to turn out a satisfactory one, so far as 

 qualifications and sufficient soundness go. In 

 point of price, however, a young purchaser may, 

 though buying under all these advantages, be 

 most comfortably victimised: not willingly, on 

 the part of the seller, but from his determination 

 not to sell his horse under a particular price. 

 This may arise from a very defensible resolve, 

 that a strong price shall alone induce him to part 

 from that which affords him gratification, or from 

 really conceiving the animal to be quite worth 

 the price he demands, in either of which circum- 

 stances the purchaser will, in most cases, find he 

 has paid a somewhat strong price for his horse : 

 if he gets what he wishes, the gratification of our 

 washes seldom being to be had at their just value, 

 he has no great cause to complain. 



