124 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



My meaning is this : that I think I fhould have 

 better ("port, and kill more foxes with a moderate 

 huntfman, and an excellent whipper-in, ihan 

 with the beft of huntfmen without fuch an allift- 

 ant. You will fay, perhaps, that a good huntf- 

 man will make a good whipper-in; — uot fuch, 

 however, as I mean ; — his talent mnft be born 

 with him. My reafons are, that good hounds, 

 (and bad I would not keep) ofttner need the one 

 than the other j and genius, which in a whipper- 

 in, if attended by obedience, his firft requifite, can 

 do no hurt; in a huntfman, is a dangeror.s, 

 though a defirable quality ; and if not accom- 

 panied with a large fhare of prudence, and I may 

 lay humility, will oftentimes fpoil your fport, and 

 hurt your hounds. A gentleman told me that he 

 heard the famous Will Dean, when his hounds 

 were running hard in a line with Daventry, from 

 whence they were at that time many miles diflant, 

 fwear exceedingly at the whipj^er-in, faying, 

 ^' What hujimfs have you hcreT'' the man was 

 amazed at the quefiion, " vchy dan^t you knoiv* 

 laid he, " aiid he d—d to you^ that the great earth 

 " at Daventry is open F' — -The man got forward, 

 and reached the earth jull time enough to fee the 

 fox go in. — If therefore whippers-in be left at 

 liberty to a6l as they fhall think right, they are 

 much lefs confined than the himtfman himfelf, 

 who muft follow his hounds j and, confequently 



they 



