OLD CODUINGTON. 87 



liuiiters, Jolm, Robert, and Oliver, all first-rate 

 sportsmen, who took an interest in the working of 

 hounds. He commenced his career as Master of 

 fox-hounds in the old Berkshire country, within 

 hearing of the Christchurch bells of Oxford ; and 

 when reading for my degree I remember joining 

 his hounds at Tubney Wood. After hunting this 

 country some few years, he returned to his native 

 county, and took the management of that now 

 called the South Wilts Hunt, residing near War- 

 minster, where I had the pleasure of becoming 

 more intimately acquainted with him. 



Codrington was not unaptly considered the 

 Meynel of his age in all pertaining to the manage- 

 ment of hounds, both in the kennel and the field ; 

 and as a huntsman, although riding hard upon 

 eighteen stone, he contrived for many seasons to 

 show first-rate sport. But his knowledge of fox- 

 hound genealogy was something marvellous. He 

 not only knew the best and most ancient blood then 

 extant, but could trace back the pedigrees of a 

 favourite sort of fox-hound for a centmy at least ; in 

 short, his memory served as a stud-book, to which 

 one could always refer for correct information. 



His pack was, as I have before remarked, com- 

 posed chiefly of the Beaufort blood, to which he 

 was very partial ; although in later years he bred 



