56 EIPEDS AND QUADRUPEDS. 



and I must pay the two latter the compliment of 

 saying, that speaking of them generally I would 

 quite as soon trust to their words and honour, as I 

 would to that of the great majority of their employers, 

 even noble as some of them are ; for I know, and 

 many know, nobility will on occasion show little 

 (nay, great) tricky arts in turf matters, and such 

 things have occurred, at no remote period, of a Noble- 

 man'shorse being "pulled," as well as others belonging 

 to commoners. A very heavy bettor once said, "if he 

 could only lose his own character and borrow a good 

 one, for one race meeting of importance, he would 

 in that meeting make his fortune ;" thus it appears 

 that character is to be turned to advantage in turf 

 affairs; this being the case, appearances must be kept 

 up, and there are many cases where (when a horse 

 is running with others), if all those who were known 

 to be nearly or quite equal to him in qualifications 

 to him were scratched, that is withdrawn, it would 

 be the greatest puzzle that could happen to his owner ; 

 for to lose a race against a field that it was well 

 known a particular horse could beat in a canter, 



