12 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



animal, or tell you he is one he recommends you 

 to buy, you pay him no ill compliment in not 

 doing so. 



It is true there may not be many men on 

 whose judgment we should choose to rely ; that 

 is, there are very few men whom one that is a 

 good judge himself would depute to buy him a 

 horse ; but supposing a man is not a good judge, 

 and is not fortunate enough to possess a friend 

 who is, and would undertake the task of pur- 

 chasing or advising, in that case, supposing the 

 person wanting an animal knows some one who 

 he is aware is not a first-rate judge, but is still a 

 better one than himself, he would do better to 

 trust to him than to go to market himself, 

 inasmuch as it would be better the friend should 

 buy him a horse a little thick in the wind, than 

 that he should buy one for himself with the same 

 complaint (or some other), and a little down in his 

 eyes into the bargain. 



I have been told that, as a child, if I was shown 

 any thing, my first exclamation used to be, *' Let 

 me do that my own self." This held good in 

 doing anything, whether it was to me possible or 

 not. No doubt the general result of this was cut 

 or bruised fingers, ending in a lusty roar. Still it 

 did not cure me ; I was at the same thing on the 

 next occasion presenting itself. Perhaps some of 

 my friends and acquaintances of mature age may 



