PREJUDICE AGAINST DEALERS. 509 



influence of which, coupled with the want of practi- 

 cal knowledge in the jury, and perhaps the preju- 

 dice of all parties, he does not always obtain justice. 

 It is generally taken for granted that he must have 

 known of the unsoundness or vice of the horse in dis- 

 pute, which circumstance, coupled with those before 

 mentioned, and the contradictory statements of ig- 

 norant and incompetent witnesses, operate strongly 

 against him. It too often happens, however, that 

 a mass of perjury, on one side or another, is pro- 

 duced in Court, disgusting to all persons of decent 

 character, and such as could not well be surpassed 

 under the dispensations of the dark ages, which as- 

 sumed to deprive oaths of their validity and sin of 

 its guilt. But horse-dealers are averse to appear 

 in Court at all, -which is a proof of their good judg- 

 ment ; and if they would exercise a little more 

 candour in their dealings, so as to prevent the fre- 

 quent necessity they are under of taking back 

 horses which they have sold, they would find it 

 much to their advantage, and bring many good 

 customers to their stables. " Have a regard to thy 

 name,'" saith the son of Sirach, " for that will con- 

 tinue with thee above a thousand great treasures 

 of gold;" but the winged Mercury is the horse- 

 dealer's god, and he rightly interprets his emble- 

 matic appendage, for he seldom lets an opportunity 

 fly away of taking hold of a good ofiier, lest it 

 should never come within his reach as^ain. 



The following humorous character is given of a 

 horse-dealer by Butler, the author of Hudibras : — 

 " A horse-dealer,^' savs he, " is one who reads 



