SUCH PAY BETTER THAN HALF PAY. 133 



Gilbert. He only wants the ordinary jockey's practice 

 to be perfect. Here education (the precursor to fine 

 judgment in anything a man undertakes) has led to 

 what most jockeys want — head. If poor Pavis had 

 had such a head, he would have been a still more 

 perfect jockey on his horse, and about twenty times 

 a more sensible man when off. Some jockeys will 

 perhaps ridicule the idea of education improving 

 them : I dare say they will : all, or nearly all, igno- 

 rant persons are self- sufficient enough, and hate any 

 theory. I should say to such, " Quid rides? de te 

 fabula narratur.''^ 



In these " piping times of peace," in this era of 

 general distress, when we see close relatives of No- 

 bility toiling their eight hours at the desk of a Public 

 Office for 80^. or 90/. per annum, we are led to think 

 that it matters little in what way a man can make his 

 300?. or 400/. a-year, provided the occupation is not 

 in itself disgraceful. We might, therefore, expect that 

 we should have some very superior men now fol- 

 lowing the occupation of professional riders ; but 

 there are many things that will always prevent this 

 being the case. With a very few exceptions, I do not 

 call to my recollection more than a very few — Powell, 

 the M'Donoughs, Mayne, and a few others, for in- 

 stance — though Mayne was hardly to be called pub- 

 licly professional, as he only trained and sometimes 

 rode for Lord Howth. But these can only ride at 

 high weights, Powell particularly so, who never would 

 deny to himself or his friend any of the good things 

 of this life (if he could help it); therefore can be 

 only considered as steeple-chase riders. I think I am 

 within the mark when I say, not one man in a thou- 

 sand can ride the weight of a fiat-race rider, and eer- 

 ie 3 



