THE FOX-HOUND. 71 



your kennel of the lightest, nimblest, and swiftest dogs, such as 

 for the most part all your northern hounds are, which, running 

 swiftly away with the chase, will draw your horse up to that 

 extraordinary speed, that he will forget all ease and loitering, 

 and acquainting himself daily with the violence of such exer- 

 cise, being so familiar therewith that in the end it will be less 

 troublesome unto him than a slow gallop ; and hence it was and 

 is, that the north parts are so famous for the touch and swift- 

 nesse of their horses above all other countries in the kingdom. 

 For it is certain that their horses are not better bred there than 

 in other places, but their exercise is much stronger and violent 

 through the natural swiftnesse of their hounds, inasmuch that 

 unless a horse either out of nature or education be brought to 

 more than ordinary speed, it is impossible that his master 

 should either see sport, or keep company with his companions. 

 You shall understand that these swift hounds are, as before 

 said, out of their haste and nimbleness and metal, more subject 

 to make defaults than other hounds, yet full as curious and full 

 of scent as any other, as you shall perceive by the quick know- 

 ledge and apprehension of their own errors, casting about of 

 themselves and recovering the scent, and so going away with 

 the scent before any huntsman can come up to help them." 



Surely this is as true a sketch of a fox-hound as one need 

 want, over-running the scent at times through eagerness and 

 metal, and then, as Will Deane said of his pack, spreading out 

 like a rocket the moment they are at fault. I lay much stress 

 on this point because it is a peculiarity of the fox-hound ; other 

 hounds that have not his blood in them being inclined to 

 potter about, and tie on the line the moment they come to a 

 check, instead of casting forward. 



In another chapter I shall have again to allude to the speed 

 of these hounds, which I think can be proved to have been 

 much greater than is generally supposed. 



That their descendant, the modern fox- hound, was very much 

 improved between this era and the time when Beckford wrote 



