226 COACHMEN 



wholly to hunting and .shooting, or that his associations 

 were even of the very highest order ; altogether, he might 

 be set down as a fair specimen of the followers of the 

 court of the Regent.^ 



It is not my province to pass judgment upon persons I 

 met, as it were, by accident ; but it was my fortune to 

 fall in company with many distinguished individuals, and 

 it was my inclination, also, to know something of them. 

 I am thus able to pass in review a great number of 

 characters who have rendered themselves more or less 

 conspicuous on the world's wide stage. 



After having made choice of my avocation it naturally 

 followed that I should, now and then, mix in company 

 with some of its long-standing professors, nay, it was 

 impossible to avoid, as it were, becoming one of them ; 

 but, as I had known most of them before, it was a matter 

 of some little difficulty, and it required some little tact to 

 lower myself to their level, that is, to render it consonant 

 to my feelings — to which, in truth, they were quite in- 

 different, with the exception of one or tAvo, who never 

 lessened in their respectful conduct towards me. 



There were two other day-coaches on the road, but as 

 they left Portsmouth at different hours, there was no fear 

 of our coming in contact. With the down coaches it was 

 different, as from their leaving London by different routes, 

 and other circumstances of stopping or not stopping to 

 dine, would sometimes in the middle of the journey throw 

 us too-ether. 



It happened on one occasion that on my return I over- 

 took the other day-coaches at the *' Anchor," at Liphook, 



^ Colonel Leigh. 



