54 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



the fiiienefs of his nofe, his floutnefs, nnd me^ 

 thod of hunting. On no account breed from one 

 that is not Jiout^ that is not tender-nofed, or that 

 is either a habbler^* or a Jktrter, 



*' Obferve with care his fhape, fort, colour, fize; 

 Nor willfagacious huntfmen lefs regard 

 His inward liabits; the vain babbler fliun, 

 Ever loquacious, ever in the wrong. 

 His foolifh offspring iliall offend thy ears 

 With falfe alarms and loud impertinence. 

 Nor lefs the fliifting cur avoid, that breaks 

 Illufive from the pack; to the next hedge 

 Devious he ftrays, there ev'ry mufe he tries, 

 If haply then he crofs the ftreaming fcent, 

 Away he flies vain-glorious; and exults 

 As of the pack fupreme and in his fpeed 

 And flrength unrivall'd. Lo! call: far behind, 

 His vex'd aflbciates pant, and lab'ring ftrain 

 To climb the fteep afcent. Soon as they reach 

 Th' infulting boafler, his falfe courage fails, 

 Behind he lags, doom'd to the fatal noofe, 

 His mailer's hate, and fcorn of all the field. 

 What can from fuch be hop'd, but a bafe brood 

 Of coward curs, a frantic, vagrant racer" 



SoMERVILE. 



It is the judicious crofs that makes the pack 

 complete. -j~ The fauhs and imperfedtions in one 



breed, 



* Babbling is one of the worfl faults that a hound can be 

 guilty of, it is conftantly increafing, and is alfo catching. 

 This fault, like many others, will fometimes run in the blood. 



f I have iztw fox-hounds that were bred out of a Newfound-^ 



land 



