344 ^^^^ Post and the Paddock. 



had three out with hounds : they were fixed for me. 

 Lord Plymouth had twenty-three or twenty-four of 

 ^hem at one time ; he would arrange for me to ride his 

 horses a quarter of an hour, half an hour, three-quar- 

 ters, two hours sometimes ; he wouldn't buy unless 

 you asked your three or four hundred guineas. Philo 

 and Vespasian, they were grand horses. Then there 

 was Juniper ; he was a tremendous horse — I broke 

 him. When he made that Clinker and Clasher 

 steeple-chase match. Captain Ross wanted to buy him 

 in room of Clinker. He bought Smasher, too, of Sir 

 Harry Goodricke, for 1500 guineas — great fine horse 

 that was. Friar of Orders Grey, he was a nice one ; 

 my lord rode about I ist., but he was not one of your 

 very forward ones. Vespasian gave me a terrible 

 smash — a devil of a shaking that was. Langar nearly 

 killed me ; I didn't know where I was for a long time ; 

 — he put his foot and pinned me down by the hair of 

 my head, so they told me. I don't know what he 

 did ; I knew nothing for a good bit. I practised the 

 horses at water more than anything ; sometimes I had 

 thirty of them all a-teaching at one time, I have 

 made as many as five fifteen shillingses before break- 

 fast. It would be nearly twenty-four years I was at 

 that work in Melton, and then I went to Lord Scar 

 boro's. Lord Plymouth, he must have died very nigh 

 about the same time as poor Sir Harry : they both 

 caught cold on the water, with otter-hunting and 

 yachting. 



That King of the Valley you've heard of was Mr. 

 Maxse's horse. Old George Marriott — how I have 

 seen him go, to be sure, in the Ranksboro' country! — 

 showed this 'ere grey to Tilbury when the down mail 

 stopped somewhere : he says, " If you don't buy him, 

 I will ;" so Tilbury did buy him. There were seven 

 of us in that great go from Nosely Wood to Billes- 

 don Coplow. Field Nicholson won on Magic, and I 

 was second on this King ; I got dreadfully crowded 



