38 STAG-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



so much attention a snail "vvould distance him. His figure 

 is such that if you were to meet a tailor on his back you. 

 would pull off your hat to him, though you did not owe 

 him one shilling. I know twenty men of weight who want 

 him, but the weight of metal will have him.' 



I remember a horse-dealer saying to me at one of our 

 periodical jingo high tides that a war would play the devil 

 with hunting — he meant horse-dealing. In 1734 the Buck- 

 hounds played a very honourable part in our history. 

 They helped to avert war. The affairs of Poland had led to 

 a general international complication. The usual suspicion 

 in this country was aroused as to the designs of France. 

 ' I hate the French, and I hope as we shall beat the French,' 

 said Lord Grantham, and everybody agreed with him. There 

 were noisy appeals to national honour, and violent attacks 

 were directed against the Minister. George II. was full of 

 ■fight. His personal bravery was incontestable. He was 

 longing to put on the hat and coat he had woim with dis- 

 tinction at Oudenarde at something more stirring than the 

 public festivals at which they had hitherto appeared. Walpole 

 stuck firm to his policy of neutrality and inaction. But 

 ■Queen Caroline was inclining towards the war, and he wanted 

 to bring her into his way of thinking. Lord Hervey hated 

 standing armies with the holiest Whig hatred, and was 

 entirely in Sir B,. Walpole's ' interest ' to boot. Luckily 

 he had exceptional opportunities not only of learning the 

 queen's sentiments, but of conveying to her his own and 

 Sir B. Walpole's. Wednesdays and Saturdays were the 

 king's hunting days. The king, who had the manners of a 

 drill sergeant, always ordered the queen out, and she came 

 out in a chaise. As this is not a lively amusement for four 

 or five hours, she had undertaken to mount Lord Hervey the 

 whole season, who, although he gave some promise as a 

 jockey in his youth, tells us that he now loved hunting quite 



