Now concealing a Stumble-now hiding a Trip,
Like a Horse-dealer's Man, paid to shew off a Rip;
In short, if allowed I may be, the Expression,
What We deem a Pleasure, He makes a Profession.
Little GILLIBRAND too, now began to make Play,
Tho' he rode mighty shy, at the First of the Day,
And averr'd, as if Fibbing I ween was no Sinning,
That his Horse to go pleasant, was just then beginning;
And if stumbling and rolling-wide opening his Throat—
Or convulsively throbbing, can Pleasure denote,
Then if Joy be attended, with Symptoms, like these,
Master GILLIBRAND certainly, rode at his Ease.
Nor let us, my Friends, in this Place overlook,
The Fate of poor WYNNEATT, who fell in a Brook;
And who, had it not been for that dreadful Disaster,
Must have seen all the Chase, had they even gone, faster.
A Lesson to Sportsmen-Take Warning from hence—
How much safer to ride, than turn over a Fence;
For the Chesnut, indignant at being led over,
Threw him flat on his Back, not exactly in Clover;
Nay, to tread on his Master, the Rascal made bold,
And gave him a Bath, most bewitchingly cold;
And what's worse, after playing this devilish Rig,
Of the Water he took so untimely a Swig,
That tho' REGINALD mounted as soon as releas'd,
He could never get up, till the Sport had all ceas'd.
On Michaelmas mounted, a Mile in the Rear,
Puffing-pushing-and blowing, see ALLES BY's great

Peer*,

A Sportsman so keen, that he rides Miles to Cover

To look at a Place-that he dares not ride over:

But why this great Distance, my Lord, should you roam, When as much might you see, staying quiet at Home;

* Lord CLONMELL.

Tho' his Lordship asserts, and its true without Doubt,
That a nasty Stone Wall, with a Ditch, threw him out:
No wonder, I'm sure, for by all 'tis agreed,

That Michaelmas alway was awkward to lead;
Besides GOULDBURN, his Crony, declares its the Case,
And avers that He stopt, at the very same Place.
JACK KETCH too, with very uncommon Forbearance,
At the Close of this Race, never made his Appearance;
And tho' Holyoak gave him much legal Assistance,
He was kept by the Hounds, at a very great Distance:
'Twas strange that behind-hand, JACK KETCH should be
dropt,

Who the Pipes of so many, of course must have stopp'd;
But alas! it is true, even He wanted Breath,

And for once in his Life, was not in at the Death.
On a broken knee'd Chesnut, with very good Shape,
Tho' in Muffle array'd, and without the red Cape,
Mr. PEMBERTON kept in the Front all the while,
And was carried throughout, in a very good Style +;
But not so his Groom, on a hard pulling Bay,
Who at Starting, kept tearing and running away,
But at Swarford stood still, and was done, for the Day.
With his Hat in his hand, looking out for a Gate,
Neither looking or riding by any Means straight,

}

The HUNTSMAN.

+ Style, means the best possible Manner of doing any Thing. As for Instance, when a Man rides his Horse full Speed, at double Posts and Rails, with a Squire-Trap on the other Side, (which is a moderate Ditch of about two yards wide, cut on purpose, to break Gentlemen's Necks)-he is then reckoned, at MELTON, to have rode at it, in Style—especially if he is caught, in the said Squire-Trap.

Mr. STUBBS, a great Sportsman no doubt in his Time,
But who Hunting on Sundays, once deem'd it no Crime,
Making desperate Play thro' some fine muddy Lanes,
With kicking and skirting got in for his Pains:
High waving the Brush, and with Pleasure half mad,
Roaring out-Yoics! have at 'em-we've killed him my Lad!
In a State of Delight far exceeding all Bounds,

See the veteran SQUIRE, in the midst of his Hounds;
How he lived to the End, of this hard, trying, Day,
The MUSE nor desires, neither ought she, to say:

That he saw it, 'tis clear, and what more, could old MEY

NELL,

And beheld the Effects, of his Care, in the Kennel;
Saw his Hounds unassisted, make out a cold Scent,
Tho' misled and o'er rode, every Yard that they went;
But when once settled on it, I think pretty clear,
Went a Pace that left many good Folk in the Rear ;
Then let LEICESTERSHIRE vaunt, of its far renown'd

Speed,

Let them Jostle and Cross, for a Start or a Lead,

Upon Selling their Nags, more than Hunting, intent, And scarce knowing the Meaning, of what is called Scent;

* To explain this Passage of the Poem, it is necessary to inform the Reader, of an Anecdote recorded of this Gentleman, who, long, kept a Pack of Hounds which were the Terror of all Foxes, and the Delight of all Sportsmen in the Neighbourhood; so fearful was he, of a Blank Day, that he kept several Foxes to afford Amusement. On feeding them, upon a Sunday, one of them made his Escape, though not unobserved by this keen Sportsman, who exclaimed, "What, you thought you had Me; but I'll be a Match for You;" He immediately let loose the Pack, and poor Reynard was killed, after a Chase of above Twenty Miles, in a Village, where the Inhabitants were just returning, from Evening Service,

All declaiming at once, such a Shout, such a yell,
Doing only, what Monkeys might do just as well;
Where Sport depends quite, upon knowing the Cover,
And the very best Run, in an Half-hour is over;
May such Hunting as this, never fall to my Lot,
Let them race, if they like it, I envy them not;
The Blood of old TROJAN, is all I desire,

So give Me the Hounds, of the WARWICKSHIRE
SQUIRE*.

For the Annihilation of For Hunting, (and which till this invidious Attempt to suppress it, there has been manifested an UNIVERSAL ACQUIESCENCE, throughout ENGLAND, for its SUPPORT,) not less than half a Score AcTIONS have been brought, against the different MEMBERS of the BERKLEY HUNT, and also against their Huntsman and Whipper In. We shall mention, that, tried at the Summer HERTFORD Assizes, 1809. The Earl of Essex, v. the Hon. and Rev. WM. CAPEL, his Lordship's BROTHER, and Verdicts were obtained, upon similar Arguments, in most of the Others.

The Plaintiff declared in Trespass, for breaking and entering certain Closes of the Plaintiff, and that with Hounds, Dogs, and Horses, he hunted, sported, and went in, along, and over, the said Closes, and trod down and destroyed, the Grass and Herbage, of the Plaintiff. The Defendant pleaded, several Pleas. 1st. The general Issue, which he afterwards withdrew. 2d. That as to breaking

• Mr. CORBETT.

and entering the Close, called Cashiobury Park, the Defendant, with divers other Persons, who, as well as the Defendant, were qualified to keep Hounds, had found a Fox in a certain place, called Bricket Wood, not being the Close of the Plaintiff, and that a Fox being a noxious Animal, he hunted it with his Dogs, Hounds, and Horses, and that the Hunting the For with Dogs, Hounds, and Horses, was the only way of killing the Fox. In the Sd Plea, it was stated, that such Pursuit of the For, with Dogs, Hounds, and Horses, was the most effectual and proper way, of killing the Fox. To these Pleas, the Plaintiff replied, that hunting the Fox, was not the only, or the most effectual Way, of killing and destroying it; and further stated, that the Trespasses were committed, for the Sport and Diversion of the CHASE, and for the purpose of Amusement and Pleasure, only. To these Replications, the Defendant rejoined, that the Trespasses were not committed, for Diversion and Amusement, but as the only and most effectual and proper way, of killing and destroying the Fox.-SHEPHERD, Serjeant, for the Plaintiff, contended, that the only Question was, whether it was the Defendant's Object, to rid the Country of noxious Vermin, or whether he hunted, for the Sake of Amusement. If it was merely for Amusement, the LAW does not sanction it. Even in the Enjoyment of a Man's own Property, the Maxim of Law is, that every Man must so use his own, as not to injure his Neighbours; if that is the Law, with respect to the Enjoyment of Property, then, unquestionably, as to the Enjoyment of an Amusement, the Principle is doubly applicable, and no one can say, that under the Pretence of destroying a noxious Animal, it is lawful to trespass over every Species of Property a For may go through. I should extremely doubt, whether, after starting a For on one piece of Land, Persons have a Right