TENCH V. TROUT 67 



cheerful, pleasant evenings ; and I remember, after having, 

 in the company of the two former, paid a visit of inspection 

 to Sir John Cope's kennel at Bramshill — sitting down one 

 summer evening to dinner, with one of the finest trout 

 on the table I ever saw, taken out of the Kennet, weighing 

 over eight pounds. 



" Well, Wildboy " (as he used to call him), exclaimed 

 Lord Ducie, " that is a splendid fish indeed. I cannot 

 beat you at that game — but if you will come and dine 

 with me next week, I think I can produce a tench which 

 shall equal, if not surpass, your trout in weight." 



The invitation including all present, we dined at 

 Woodchester Park accordingly ; and a brace of tench 

 were placed on the table, one over, and the other a few 

 ounces short of the same weight. 



One of our party, on that occasion, was Sir Wheeler 

 Cuffe, a very staunch old fox-hunter, who had been 

 entered at Melton under the father of the chase, Mr. 

 Meynell, and had hunted there also with Lord Sefton 

 and Tom Smith. Sir WTieeler, for his age, was one of the 

 most active and vigorous men I ever remember, still a 

 very hard rider ; and when one day remarking on his 

 extraordinary youthfulness of look and manner — for he 

 generally paid me a visit every hunting season — his reply 

 struck me most forcibly — " I have outlived my generation, 

 and being consequently obhged to associate with much 

 younger men than myself, I have tried to keep up with 

 them, and that effort has prevented me feehng my age. 

 Depend upon it, my young friend," he continued, " men 

 yield too soon to increasing years ; and the very fact of 

 their believing themselves getting old and infirm makes 

 them so." 



There is a great deal of sense and pith in this remark. 



