212 HINTS TO horsemen; oe, 



for any man to be a judge of race-horses and racing ; 

 and so long as lie has nothing to do with either, he 

 in no way lays himself open to any charge of igno- 

 rance or the slightest ridicule in not being so ; but 

 it becomes absolutely necessary for him to be so if he 

 does. There could be nothing ridiculous in itself if a 

 man saw a creature not worth fifty pounds winning 

 his races with ease, to suppose he would put Sauce- 

 box to his best to beat him ; that is, nothing ridiculous 

 in the man, ridiculous as in a racing point of view 

 the thing might be ; but let not such a man venture 

 to back his opinion by a bet. 



There is nothing ridiculous in a man sporting an 

 equipage driven by some representative of a coach- 

 man, who, though wanting a third hand for his reins, 

 would not, if he had it, know what to do with it ; 

 his master thinks him a coachman, because he brings 

 home his family safely ; his horses, that cost per- 

 haps a couple of hundred, looking and going, from 

 the way they are driven, like omnibus horses, save 

 and except their not being onC' tenth part as handy ; 

 there is nothing ridiculous in all this, but it is a sad 



