.268 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



to you, it gave me not the Icart idea of what 

 Jiare-bunting ought to be. Certain ideas are ne-^ 

 ceffarily annexed to certain words ; this is the ufe 

 pf language; and when a tbx-hound is mentioned, 

 I Ihould expect not only a particular kind of 

 bound;, as to njake, lize, and llrength, by which 

 the fox-hound is cafy to be diftinguiilied : but I 

 ihould alfo expecl by fox-hunting, a lively, ani- 

 mated, and eager purfuit, as the very eflence of 

 it.* Eagernefs and impetuoiity are fuch eflential 

 parts of this divcrlion, that I am never more lur- 

 prifed than when 1 fee a ibx-hunt. r witl-iout them. 

 One hold hard^ or reproof imnecejfanly given, 

 would chill me more than a north-eafl wind ; it 

 v/ould damp my fpirits and fend me home. The 

 cnthuiiafm of a fox-hunter fhoukl not be checked 

 in its career, for it is the very life and foul of 

 foxhunting. If it be the eagernefs with which 

 vou purfue your game that makes the chief plea- 

 sure of the chace, fox-hunting furely fhould af- 

 ford the greateft degree of it, fince you purfue 

 no animal with tiie lanie eagernefs that you pur- 

 fue a fox. 



* The fix foUowiiig lines may have a dangerous tendency. 

 Only, a good fportfman can know when a reproof is given im- 

 necejfarily^ and only a bad one ^^'ill be defcn'ing of reproof. 

 This pafTage, therefore, fliould be compared with pages 149, 

 187, 189, 204, where the meaning of the author is very clearly 

 expreili>d. 



Knov/ipg 



