WARRANTING A HORSE SOUND. 27 



knowlno: as little as himself. But still, fecline: 

 themselves qualified to give their opinion, and as 

 each fancies he evinces his knowledge by pointing 

 out something that he conceives objectionable, 

 the horse shortly becomes in the same state as the 

 picture the artist exposed, requesting each passer 

 to put a chalk mark on any part he thought 

 defective. The consequence was, the picture be- 

 came one mass of white chalk. So w^ould the 

 horse, if each friend marked, instead of verbally 

 giving, his opinion. The owner shortly really be- 

 lieves he has got a horse possessing every earthly 

 failing incidental to the animal. Even without 

 warranty, the selling a horse to such a man, if 

 not one of the deadly sins, is certainly one of the 

 deadly abominations ; I would sell such a man a 

 halter if he wished it, but most certainly not a horse. 

 As to warranting in its general usage, I must 

 say, that I consider It an unfair thing to ask any 

 man to do, and a most impolitic thing on the part 

 of the seller to consent to ; that Is, as warranties 

 are now worded, and expected to bear. To this 

 mode of sale, I make the two following objec- 

 tions ; first. It compels a man to trust (say) two 

 hundred pounds, or, what Is worse, an animal 

 worth that sum, to the management of another : 

 this, perhaps, a very Improper, — that Is, injudi- 

 cious — manager of an animal — that a little in- 

 attention, to say nothing of unfair usage — may 



