Text page (preface) for "A Steeple Chase; or, A Cross-Country Match". (Primary Title)
Henry Thomas Alken, English, 1785–1851 (Artist)
Printed in center: THE STEEPLE CHASE. / As it may not be within the knowledge of every person what a Steeple Chase signifies, / it is necessary to give some sort of description of it. A Steeple Chase, or rather a Race to a / Steeple, differs in many points from any other kind of racing with horses. Racing in general is / for the purpose of trying and proving the speed and bottom of horses matched ; but it is called / a Steeple Chase when the parties engaged are to make the best of their way to a given point, and / that point, if possible, is to be visible from the place of starting : it is so called from a steeple / being mostly chosen as a land-mark. / The qualifications of a Steeple Chase, worthy of going to see, are many, and are positively / indispensable both to man and horse ; for one has as much work to do as the other. The horse / should possess speed, strength, bottom, high courage, good temper, be good at all sorts of / fencing, of sound constitution, and, lastly, well got up for a very slap thing, as my friend Bob / W- t- n says. The man should possess the same accomplishments, with the exception of / speed, in lieu of which he should have a good hand and a perfect knowledge of the country. / I believe that you will not find in any part of the world such break-neck speculations / entered into as are practised in the United Kingdom by the upper classes of society. Wealth / and laziness are not there bound to go hand in hand ; for courage and activity in youth and middle age are indispenable accomplishments. / [verse] Hail, happy Britain! highly favour'd isle, / And Heaven's peculiar care! to thee 'tis given / To train the sprightly steed, more fleet than those / Begot by winds, or the celestial breed! / SOMERVILE. Inscribed in graphite on verso, upper right: "HRH 14 / 18A"; in center: "99" (struck through) and "93"
Paul Mellon Collection
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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