"The Qualification"; text page for a series of six prints (Primary Title)
Hunting Qualifications (Series Title)
Henry Thomas Alken, English, 1785–1851 (Artist)
Printed on front of prefatory text page: "THE QUALIFICATION. / IN all the pursuits of life a Qualification is most essential ; it not / only doubles the pleasure to be derived from them, but in the chase it / will remove nine-tenths of the danger attendant on that health-pro- / moting, spirit-cheering, and antibilious recreation, / FOX-HUNTING! / Oh! the magic which those two words possess! I mean of course for / the Qualified! / [verse] Then who would not be qualified, / And undertake ahorse to ride; / At gate or ditch ne'er be denied, / And never to feel terrified / When push'd at speed to the brook-side, / Or double fence, however wide ; / To take the river at any tide, / And I cannot tell what beside-- / Do any thing, if once defied, / Or try to do it--if he died? / [left verse] He all this must do, / And a little more too: / Bear bad wind and weather, / And appear altogether / As if he ne'er felt its attack; / [right verse] Bear sleet in his face, / At a slapping good pace: / His eyes must be open, / Or he'll soon get a token; / And that will be giv'n by a whack. / [text] Even in going to cover there is mostly something to do (I mean something out of / the way to the Unqualified). I do not know that Lord Byron was much of a Fox-Hunter, / but he must have had some idea of one of the Qualified when he said he should behave / [couplet] So that his charger, hunter, hack, / Knew that he had a rider on his back. / [text] Oh! 'tis a joyous sight to see the start for cover! The breakfast must be late to / be fashionable: but what fashion has to do with the Qualified I know not; they must / be all nature. There is, nevertheless, a sort of fashion in every thing--so let that go. / Bring up the hacks! Now watch each countenance, and you may as easily select / the Qualified from the Unqualified as you would game-cocks from fan-tailed pigeons. / Off they go; and 'tis a great chance but both the reds and the whites are somewhat / increased in weight, and have acquired a few elementary ornaments before an opportunity / offers for calling out, "Has any body seen my groom? Cuss the feller!""
Inscribed in graphite on verso: "HRH 20 / 21 A / 2".
Paul Mellon Collection
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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