§20 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTII^G, 



more expenfive, which, as I do not pradlife my- 

 felf, 1 fhall not recommend to you ; — treated after 

 the manner here defcribed they will kill foxes, and 

 Hiew } ou Iport. I have anfwcred all your quef- 

 tions as concitely as I was able, and it has been 

 my conftant endeavour to fay no raor'- titan I 

 thought \h'^ lubjeft required. Tiie time iDay 

 come, when more experienced fportfmcn p.nd 

 abler pens may do it grealer jufdce; till then, 

 accept the obfcrvations that I have made: take' 

 them, read them, try them. There v.as a timd 

 when I fhould readily have received the informa- 

 tion they give, iraperfe6t as it may be ; for expe- 

 rience is ever a flow teacher, and 1 have had no 

 other. Willi regard to books^ Somervile is the 

 only author whom I have found of any ufe on 

 this fubjeft ; you will admire the poet and efleem 

 the man; yet I am not certain that you will be 

 always fatisfied with the lefTons of the huntfman* 

 Proud of the authority, I have quoted from him 

 as often as it would fuit your purpofe ; and, for* 

 your fake, have I braved the evident difad vantage 

 that attended it. I wifh this elegant poet had 

 anfwered all }our quefiions; you then would 

 have received but one letter from me — to refer 

 you to him. That no other writer fliould have 

 followed his fleps may thus, I think, be accounted 

 for : tiiofe gentlemen who make a profeffion of 

 writing live chiefly in town, confequently cannot 

 be fappofcd to know much of hunting : and 



thoib 



