22 PRO BONO rUBLICO. 



next and equally important tiling to be well looked 

 into is, is he quite sure lie possesses steadiness and 

 nerve enough to resist the temptation to bet heavily ? 

 If he has not these two requisites, for the sake of 

 himself and the feelings of liis friends let him keep 

 from the turf, for it will be all but certain ruin. If 

 he possesses both these requisites, let him begin 

 keeping race-horses as soon as he likes — they will do 

 him no more harm than any other expensive pursuit. 



1 have ventured in these few pages to give my 

 impressions on some parts of racing affairs. That 

 they may not be perfectly correct is doubtless the 

 case ; but take them as a whole, however feebly 

 expressed, they are founded on fact and truth, and as 

 such may be in some slight degree useful to the very 

 young and the very unwary. If I have only bright- 

 ened one spark of indignation in the breasts of men 

 of honour against the ckiss of pests I have alluded to, 

 I have done something : if among the thousands who 

 could handle the subject so much better than I have 

 done, I can induce one to take up his pen in the same 

 cause, I have done a great deal: and if this should 

 eventually tend to the dri\'ing these harpies back to 

 the insignificance from which they sprung, it would 

 indeed be a glorious achievement. Then and not till 

 then ^\dll racing again become a harmless and ex- 

 hilarating amusement to the public, a benefit to the 

 country, a manly and national sport, the pride and 

 glory of Englishmen. 



