284 POETRY. "For twenty fuch, and for this reason, "BLACK GAME is now quite out of feafon." Quoth Reynard, "Tis a cock, believe me." "A cock! A grouse, you can't deceive me ; "A little fhort-beak'd heath-bred oozle, "A cock indeed, a flat bamboozle ? "To fee the diff'rence needs no skill,"If, tis a cock, pray where's his bill? "His fine long bill ?--Here's no fuch thing! So, mafter Fox, 'tis all a fling !" "Sir," replies Reynard, "take my word, "If you'll fit down and eat the bird, "I'LL find the BILL before you pike it,* "And perhaps LONGER than you like it." To praise his looks and his fleek hide. Quit but the woods, grow fond of reft, And foon as plump as me you'll be, the dog replied. How foolish 'tis to earn one's food At the fword's point each day, When one may get tit-bits, without a Then follow me, your destiny will mend. Right glad the Wolf to find fo warm a friend; What must I do, fays he, To win fuch perfect bliss? A trifling thing or two like this: Court the well-dreft, affront the poor, Flatter the fervants, above all the mafter please : Your falary for this is duly paid, In fcraps of meat and bones of fowl, Trust me it is a thriving trade. What ails your neck, fays he, it's bare? 'Tis nothing-Nothing? an old fong, Perhaps the collar's worn away the 氰 hair. Sometimes I'm tied up in the day; Tied up, you fay, and cannot range wheree'er you will? Not at all times I can't, but that's no pain; To me 'twould be fo much, that still I will be free-farewell to you, and to your conftant feaft. SPORTING MAGAZINE; O R, MONTHLY CALENDAR Of the Tranfactions of the TURF, the CHASE, and every other Diverfion Interefting to the Man of Pleafure and Enterprize; For MARCH, 1796. Viz. 1. An excellent Portraiture of Modifh, the property of Colonel Thornton. 2. The Hare in View, being the Fourth Plate of a feries of Etchings on the fubject of Hare Hunting; and, 3. a beautiful Vignette Title Page to the Seventh Volume. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETORS: And Sold by J. WHEBLE, No. 18, Warwick Square, near St. Paul's; John Hilton, at Newmarket; and by every Bookfeller and Stationer Great Britain and Ireland. TO THE READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS OF THE SPORTING MAGAZINE. WE E are happy to announce the receipt of a Packet from Waterford, its Contents are worthy our Notice, which, in due courfe, fhail be attended io. T. W. is nformed, that we are of no Party, it is our province to entertain all Parties; his fplenetic Epistle, therefore, has no countenance from us: but of courfe will be configned to that oblivion it fo juftly merits. If an Honeft Hibernian will just take a fecond peep into our last Number, he will there find the Article which at prefent is fo much the Object of his Lamentation. Reflections on the Sentence of Colonel O'Kelly, is inadmissible. Capt. Snug has a place in our prefent Number, in company with many other refpe&table Subfcribers. * *We conceive it our Duty, in this Place, to return our grateful tribute of Thanks to the generous concurrence of upwards of 7hrec Thousand refpectable and regular Subfcribers, on the completion of this Your Seventh Volume! It is to their liberality and difcernment that we are to highly indebted for the fuccefs of our Performance, thus far; and a further continuance of our ufual exertions and perfeverance to please, will, we prefume, fufficiently juftify us in looking up to them for their future patronage and fupport.-In confequence of the numerous Favors of Correfpondents, which fo rapidly pour in upon us from all parts of the Kingdom, and even from the other fide of the water, (left we should be charged with the crime of partiality) it is neceflary to obferve, that where equal Merit is difcernible, (articles of a local nature excepted), as it ever has been, fo it ever will be, an invariable maxim with us, to give place to them indifcriminately. + The First Number of the Eighth Volume, intended to be published on the Firth of May, will be found replete with many pleafurabie and interelling Articles, worthy the notice of the Sporting World in general. THE Sporting Magazine, For MARCH, 1796. Portraiture of MODISH, the property of Colonel THORNTON. HE elegance of the engraving THE a which we no lay before our readers, will not, we prefume, be queftioned. It is intended as companion to Dafh, given in No. 40 of our Magazine, which our Subfcribers will alfo find, upon comparifon, to be in no refpect inferior, in point of 'execution to the prefent print. In a future Num don Coplow, to Sheffington, and March 6, About three weeks ago, two ter her, we propofe to lay fomething ries belonging to the Duke of further on this fubject, EXTRA SPORTING. REMARKABLE FOX AND HARE March 2. Northumbe land's huntfman, followed a fox into the cleft of a limeftone qua ry, and were given over as loft, af er remaining here :7 days, they extrica ed themfelves, and re urned home, but fo emacia ed, that they could hardly walk, two hours, took ground in Mr. | Scott's cellar at Barrow, whither he was followed by the whole pack of hounds, and mot of the horsemen in the field, and actually killed in full cry on a cask of old beer, to` the no fmail gratication of all prefent. On Thursday fe'nnight, the honads belonging to Mr. John Hill and Mr. Owen Roberts, had as famous a day's fport as perhaps ever was met with in the annals of fox-hunting. They turned out a fox near Broughton, when after running to Hardwick, Preston Covers, Leighton Shelf, Merrington Covers, Walford, Prefcot, and over in the whole, an extent of country of at least fifty miles in four hours, bald Reynard was obliged tolu nit to the faunch pack, which was allowed by good sportsmen to Lave beloved as well as ever they ...V any hounds in the kingdom; upwards of thirty horfemen fet of with the dogs, but not above ten vere in at the death. One day last week a hare being much preifed by a brace of gryI unds, and two sportfmen, one on each fiste of her, to prevent her turning from the greyhounds, dathed into a rabbit burrow; the fportíen dug her, and took her a fecond dine to be courfed, when, after besting the greyhounds, the again made her former harbour, from whence the heroes a fecond time dag her, and took her far away from the burrow, and fet her clofe down before the greyhounds, which fhe fairly beat the third time, for a confiderable dittance, and would have requined her former fituation, had not one of her legs been broke, vias, it is fuppofed, to her having medical gripe, when 1 taken from the womb of the carth. ceived 2 A hare, a few days ago ftrayed into the Three Crowns Inn, Hathern, in Leicestershire, and fat herfelf very contentedly before the fire, notwithstanding there were feveral people in the kitchen, who at first were awed into filence by the fingularity of the phenomenon; but poor pufs was not long permitted to enjoy herself, or meet protection under the roof of a man, the was no fooner fully recognized, than the clamour that owes its pleasure to another's pain, that feeds upon the fobs and dying fhrieks of harmlefs nature" put her to flight; the first jumped at the fire, but after wa ds ran into the c llar, and funt upon the ale barrel in tap. where she was tak:a; and we are forry to aid. fel a martyr to the vora clous appetites of her purfuers, who devoured her the fame evening. March 29. The celebrated Mifs Barlow, well known as an accomplished portfwoman, among the frequenters of Newmarket, &c. drove her cute ricles with a pair of grey ponies, (only thirteen hands and a half gr. from the market houfe at Romfor, to Whitechapel church By in 47 minutes and 2 feconds. the conditions of the bit, (which was 100 guineas) fhe was allowed an hour to perform it in: Salisbury, March 29. Owing to the fearcity of poft horfes, a proceffion, rather ludicrous, prefented itself to the people of Marlborough, laft week; where fome gentlemen, impatient of delay, made their ensé in a post-chaife drawn by oxen, on a full trot, and driven by the owner, by whom they had been goaded on to per form their journey, at the rate of eight miles in an hour and 2 quarter. |