THE HUNTING PARSON 187 



to ride." Archbishop Harcourt, who ruled over 

 the see of York wisely and well for many years, 

 once asked him if he thought it permissible for 

 an Archbishop to ride, and the reply was, " Yes, 

 if he did not ride too well." The Archbishop, 

 who was a fine horseman and a keen sportsman, 

 gave Sydney Smith his first preferment. 



I think that all whose privilege it was to know 

 him, or who have read his inimitable books, or 

 who have studied the story of his life of self- 

 sacrifice and devotion to his profession, will admit 

 that Canon Kingsley was an honour to the Church 

 of which he was a member. Canon Kingsley was 

 a sportsman in the best sense of the word : by 

 riverside he was an expert ; in the hunting field 

 he could hold his own with the best, and he relates 

 how, long after he had given up riding to hounds, 

 he went out on his old cob to see hounds draw a 

 covert. They found, there was a scent, hounds 

 came driving past with a hard-riding field in their 

 wake, and as he watched them in their career he 

 felt a pride and a pleasure in the knowledge that 

 his friends knew that he could ride. 



It is a remarkable fact that when a parson does 

 hunt he is generally a finished horseman. Some, 

 of course, who take to the sport late in life, with 

 the special object, perhaps, of looking after their 

 youngsters, can scarcely be said to witch the world 

 with noble horsemanship, but I reckon amongst 

 my hunting friends many parsons, and certainly a 

 large proportion of them can hold their own with 

 any layman, however good he may be. One I 

 have in my mind's eye now, whom I have seen 

 go well in many countries. Raw youngster, 

 finished and perfect hunter, tricky hireling, he 



