MY GLOEIOUS COUSIN. 67 



apply them ; and if from laziness, we hardly know 

 when the priming is sufficient for the charge ; whereas, 

 with my sort, only keep fast hold of their heads, you 

 have little to fear, unless you cannot keep fast hold 

 of your saddle; and then I will tell such a gentleman 

 how to avoid danger from this cause — stay at home ; 

 or do as a glorious cousin of mine always did by 

 way of country manly exercise, — ride in a chariot 

 with your wife. Now he lived within two miles of 

 Hatfield House when the hounds there were in their 

 glory. — I must be guilty of a piece of egotism here, 

 for the credit of my breed, to make it publicly known, 

 that, though relatives, our family were only on 

 visiting terms — quite intimacy enough with a man 

 (and he a young one) who could perpetrate such an 

 atrocity. Thank God ! he was no nearer relation. 



Though I am inclined in a general way to like a 

 "from field to field horse," I do not mean to say he 

 would do in all countries : in parts of Essex he would 

 break his neck or his rider's ; and in the country I have 

 lately mentioned, the Salisbury or Hertford, he would 

 not do : in the first place, his powers would there be 

 uncalled for, nay, they would be dangerous ; but this 

 does not alter my opinion, that, taking the average of 

 countries, such a horse would give a man fewer falls 

 than a sticky jumper. It may be said that these 

 flyers exhaust themselves : I allow them to do so ; but 

 when the first edge is taken off' them, they have sense 

 enough to begin doing that at twice which in the first 

 burst they would have taken "at one fell swoop" and 

 if tired, they are then only what a sticky one is when 

 fresh. It is a very bad fault in a horse taking six 

 feet more at a brook than he need do ; but it is a 

 deuced deal better than six feet too few. Jumping 



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