32 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



is not to be expected, if he has an unpromising 

 young one, or a seasoned horse that is a brute, 

 that he is to chronicle the imperfections of his 

 own property, or to be philanthropic enough to 

 keep such an animal, lest another person should 

 be inconvenienced by purchasing him. If, on the 

 other hand, such a person as I have mentioned 

 goes to a rogue, of course he is done every way, 

 both as to price and qualifications. 



We will suppose a much stronger case, and one 

 where there is the least probability of deception 

 on one hand, or error on the other ; viz., where a 

 man not conversant with horse affairs goes to pur- 

 chase of another of similar character (two respect- 

 able tradesmen, we will say) : the one, having no 

 further use for his horse, wishes to sell ; the 

 other, wanting a horse, wishes to buy ; the ani- 

 mal is known by both parties to have done his 

 work quietly and honestly for the last twelve 

 months, and never to have been during that 

 time (in the common phrase) '^ sick or sorry." 

 Here, says or thinks a man, I am surely certain 

 to get precisely what I want, and cannot err 

 in buying. He will find he may though ; for 

 if the fresh purchaser wants such a horse for a 

 different kind of purpose, or intends to treat him 

 differently, be it with more or less indulgence, 

 what the horse has been seen to do with his last 

 master will be no guarantee of his doing equally 



