Breeding of Hu n ters, 267 



duly transmitted to his children. He died about six 

 years ago, and the only relic we saw of him, after duly 

 visiting Wickliffe's at Lutterworth, was a pair of slip- 

 pers, which had been made for the groom out of his 

 skin, in honour of their eleven years' intimacy. The 

 animal which did as much, if not most, for his fame, 

 was a mare, The Gipsey, who was bought by the late 

 Hon. Augustus Villiers from Mr. Kench, of Dun- 

 church. She had been used in harness ; but under 

 his able handling, she soon became first-rate in the 

 field, and he won the Melton Steeple-chase and a 

 match against Lord Maidstone, in Leicestershire, as 

 well as another at Leamington, on her. From his 

 hands she passed into Earl Craven's, and often took 

 a front place in the field with his lordship's brother- 

 in-law, the Hon. Robert Grimston, on her back. 

 She stood only fifteen-two, lengthy and very thick 

 through, big plain head, of course, and had strong 

 but heavy shoulders. Li her fencing, instead of land- 

 ing on her hind legs, she " pitched " upon her shoul- 

 ders, probably owing to the formation in that part, 

 but still she never fell. Earl Craven afterwards put 

 her to the stud, but she never threw a foal worth its 

 corn. 



While a thousand guineas for blood-yearlings is 

 becoming an every day occurrence, the rage for giving 

 that price for hunters has quite died away ; and we 

 have not heard of such a figure since it was refused 

 both for Harlequin and Limner. Up till 1770-80, 

 even two hundred guineas was hardly dreamt of, and 

 the first hunter we can find any trace of as having 

 fetched that price, was one sold about that period by 

 Mr. Valentine Knightley to a Mr. Alexander Small, 

 the son of a well-known Buckinghamshire rector. 

 Stubbs has preserved the outline of this favoured 

 horse. Monarch, m a pleasant Fawsley shooting picture, 

 where he stands " steady " behind his master ; but he 

 gives one much more the notion of an animal ready 



