WHIPPER-IN AND HUNTSMAN. 215 



tant is to a regiment : believe me, a good whip- 

 in is not less so to a pack of fox-hounds. But 

 I must beg you to observe, that I only mean 

 that / could do better with mediocrity in the 

 one than in the other. If I have written any 

 thing in a former letter that implies more, I beg 

 to retract it in this. Yet I must confess to you, 

 that a famous huntsman I am not very ambi- 

 tious to have, unless it necessarily followed that 

 he must have famous hounds \ a conclusion 

 I cannot admit, as long as these so famous 

 gentlemen will be continually attempting to do 

 themselves, what it would be much better if 

 they would permit their hounds to do : besides? 

 they seldom are good servants, are always con- 

 ceited, and sometimes impertinent. I am very 

 well satisfied if my huntsman knows his country, 

 knows his hounds, and rides well up to them, 

 and has some knowledge of the nature of the 

 animal which he is in pursuit of: and so far am 

 I from wishing him to be famous, that I hope 

 he will still continue to think that his hounds 

 know best how to hunt a fox. 



You say you agree with me, that a huntsman 

 should stick close to his hounds. If then his 

 place is fixed, and that of the first whipper-in 

 (where you have two) is not, I cannot but think 



