WARRANTY. 17 



pose, or at least with the intent, of getting off a 

 large share of the original purchase money. This 

 is a pretty sure and lucrative game for a man 

 who has no character to lose. But the seller who 

 has one, in order to avoid law (where plenty of 

 fellows could be found who would swear any- 

 thing) and abuse from him who purchased the 

 horse, either takes the animal back, or refunds a 

 heavy sum for having a sound horse injured, for 

 the time being, by a miscreant. If the seller takes 

 him back, though here the fellow would miss a 

 gain, no harm is done to him. If he gets that for 

 thirty that he knows was cheap at fifty (supposing 

 that to have been the sum originally given) he 

 makes twenty over and above selling at an advance 

 on fifty — no bad day's work, a very common 

 trade, and a wee bit more lucrative one than 

 writino; on such matters. 



It may be said, that, though the refusal to give 

 a warranty to such persons as I have described, 

 or even to a stranger, may hold good, as a matter 

 of precaution, it is no reason why such should 

 not be given to a gentleman, or by respectable 

 men to each other. Such persons do not often 

 object to give it ; but many do ; some from an 

 over scrupulousness or fear, that, if any thing 

 should turn out wrong, they might lay themsel 

 open to a suspicion of a wish to deceive; and 

 with persons not much versed in horses, such an 

 C 



