17^ THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING* 



clofe bciidc them, or will itand quiet a momen^^ 

 though it be to halloo a fox : it is true, they will 

 not fail to halloo if he fliould come in their way, 

 and they will do the fame to as many foxes as 

 they fee. Some will encourage hounds which 

 they do not know ; it is a great fault : were every 

 gentleman who follows hounds to fancy himfelf a 

 huntlman, what noife, what confufion would cn- 

 fue! I conlider many of them as gentlemen riding 

 out, and I am never fo well pleated as when I 

 lee them ride home again. You may perhaps 

 have thought, that I v/iflied (hem all to be huntf- 

 men — mofl certainly not ; but the more alfifiants 

 a huntfman has, the better, in all probability, 

 his hounds will be. Good fenfc, and a little ob- 

 fervation, will foon prevent fucli people from 

 doing amifs; and I hold it as an almoll invariable 

 rule in hunting, that thofe who do not know hov/ 

 to do good are always liable to do harm :* there is 

 fcarce an iniiant, during a whole chace, when a 

 jportfman ought not to be in one particular place: 



* This is a better reafon, perhaps, why gentlemen ought to 

 underfland this diveriion, than ror the good they may do in it ; 

 fince a pack of- hounds that are well manned will feldom need 

 any other alliftance. A gentleman, perceiving his hounds to 

 be much confuled by the frequent halloos of a ftranger, rodr 

 up to him, and thanked him with great civility for the trouble 

 he was taking: but at the fame time acquainted him, that the 

 two men he faw in green coats were paid fo much by the year, 

 on purpofe to halloo, it woilld be neediefs for him, therefore, to 

 give himfelf zi\y further trouble. 



and. 



