noticed by any person in the Fancy. Allow-
ing for all those drawbacks, his conduct in the
ring was truly game ; and he fought like a
man determined to win. If he had paid tha
sort of attention to himself he was bound to
do as a boxer, anxious not only prove the
conqueror, but to arrive at the top of the tree,
he would have got down to a proper weight,
improved his wind, increased his activity,
and, as he is an acknowledged hard hitter
possessing immense strength, a very dif-
ferent account might have been given of
this battle. At all events, Dobell would
then have appeared something like an op-
ponent to Brown. Dobell, in a gieat mea-
sure, has been accessory to his own defeat;
and, if he should have another shy, we hope
ho will then strictly attend to the rules of
training. That he proved himself a good
taker will not be doubted ; and if he had been
up to the mark, his giving qualities might
have proved very mischievous, and made the
battle doubtful. His adversary was not in
much better condition. In several instances
he showed weakness, was out of wind, and
bad upon his legs. Therefore, if Dobell had
been well place this and that together the
hero of the lush- crib might have stood a good
chance of becoming a hero in the P. R.
Brown is not a muscular man his arms never
exhibited this sort of trait, which, in general*
belongs to the pugilist : nevertheless Brown is
a powerful man, and his hits was very
effective : but there are men who never can
get into first-rate condition. The length of
Brown gave him great advantages in out-fight-
ing; and the furious impetuous, inconsiderate
rushes made by Dobell, lost him the battle in
quick time. Likewise at in-fighting, Dobell
had the worst of it, from the want of strength,
Brown also proved himself the best fighter in
every point of view he timed his man in
coming-in went down out of difficulties and,
when he had got Dobell, as the pugilistic
phrase goes, he polished him off hand. Se-
veral persons found fault with Brown for
going-down they thought it showed a want
of game ; while others, on the contrary, assert,
that in this he evinced a knowledge of the
ring, and did every thing in his powe: to ob-
tain victory. Dobell left off more owing to



11)2



PIERCi; EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



fatigue than PUNISHMENT; he was not licked
as to severe milling, but so completely .worn
out and distressed, that the tight was all out of
him, and he could not lift his hands to con-
tinue the contest. We again repeat, he has
only himself to blame for being defeated in
Twenty-two Minutes and a Half. Had not
Brown seriously injured his thumb in the
third round, in all probability the battle would
have been at an end in half the time ; but he
was afraid to hit with his right hand. We
cannot find fault with the game of either of
the men, if we cannot praise their science, or
place them on a footing with Spring and
Crawlcy. However, it was generally admitted
that, Two Hundred and Eighty-eight Miles
was rather too long a distance for so short an
INNINGS ! ! !

Circumstances connected with the Battle.
WINNING versus LOSING. Brown imme-
diately left the ring amidst the shouts of vic-
tory accompanied by Spring and Neal, and
a large mob of friends, to the King's Head Inn,
in the High Town of Bridgnorth, kept by his
brother, to partake of a good dinner. Brown
appeared just as much at his ease as if he had
not been fighting ; his right hand was a little
puffed, and his right peeper in mourning.
Here it was " all happiness ;" the smiles of
victory gave an additional zest to the scene ;
the grub toddled oft' in quick time ; the port
and sherry went round like lightning, and
the eloquence of Harry Holt, on the subject of
Prize Fighting, by way of preface to his toast,
" Successto Milling," was generally admired,
and drank with enthusiasm.

THE LOSING MAN. In the High To'vn, a
Bridgnorth, only a few yards distant from the
conqueror, at the Royal Oak, we visited Do-
bell within an hour after the fight. He was
in bed, and his brother bathing his face with
warm flannels, after he had been attended and
bled by a medical man. We were surprised
to find him in such good spirits : although in
defeat, he was not in despair. He observed
to the writer of this article, " that his heart
was still in the right place ; he did not com-
plain of the punishment he had received, that
from fatigue, and FATIGUE alone, he was com-
pelled to give up the battle. He also acknow-
ledged his bad state of health, his want o*
condition, and that he ought to have forfeited.
Brown, in the course of the afternoon, paid
him a visit, and they met each other like
brave fellows.

Both the High and Low towns of Bridg-
north had a prime turn by the above Mill ;
all the cribs were filled to an overflow ; and
the house, " the Bottle-in- Hand Inn," formerly
kept by Brown, was crammed to excess. The
veteran, Tom Crib, enjoying his cigar ; Tom
Spring, Ned Neal, Harry Holt, and Harry
Lancaster, all gave a friendly call at the
" Bottle-in-Hand Inn."

Brown, previous to his defeat by Sampson,
ttood very high in the estimation of the town s-



folks of Bridgnorth ; anrt at his opening din-
ner, he disposed of three hundred tickets at a
guinea each ; yet his loss with Sampson
tended to render him rather unpopular with
his backers ; but although compelled to leave
his house, he sold his property, and paid all
his debts in the most honorable manner. The
hero of Bridgnorth is very respectably con-
nected ; his father was considered a topping
farmer in those parts, and the early part of
Brown's life was that of a young gentlemanly
farmer. He is also respectably connected by
marriage ; and his better half has a small pro-
perty in her own right. Brown altogether is
a well conducted man, a merry excellent com-
panion, and nothing like the slightest degree
of ferocity allied to his manners or constitu-
tion.

Sampson, after the battle was over, rode
through the lower town of Bridgnorth on
horseback on his return to Birmingham.
Several of the Johnny Raws, grinning, asked
him if he had seen his Maexter ? they appeared
so elated by the success of Brown. " Yes,"
replied Sampson (laughing), " he has been
very lucky to me to day ; he is one of my best
friends, I have pocketed, by his exertions,
119 ; and I hope he will be lucky to me
another day." " He is your master any day,"
said an old countryman, shaking his bag of
money at him ; " he'll tip it to you next time."
" Very well, old boy," replied Phil, " you
shall have it all your own way so good bye."
Sampson, on the previous evening, at Wolver-
hampton, had put down 10 towards fighting
Brown 500 to 300, but he was rather in-
ebriated at the time ; aud ? as a matter of course,
the match went off.

The ring was capacious, we,l kept, and not
the slightest interruption occurred ; it was
also surrounded by several thousand persons,
but it wanted the right sort of folks the
swells to give it importance. We are reluct-
antly compelled to acknowledge this fact, and
the appearance of the thing was altogether
different from the late ring at Leicester.
This deficiency of gentlemen of character and
rank was attributed to the recent conduct of
Ward. The return from the field of battle to
Bridgnorth was truly delightful : the fineness
of the day, the windings of the road, of a
hilly aspect, for a mile or two, filled with pe-
destrians and vehicles of every description ;
the magnificent and picturesque scenery
which this part of the country affords ; and
the romantic appearance of the High Town of
Bridgnorth, the castle, the houses built on the
sides of a sort of rocky hill, the meanderings
of the Severn, the bridge, and the vessels in
the river, furnished a panoramic view to the
eye of the traveller of the most interesting
character, and not easily to be conveyed on
paper ; yet it tended, in a great degree, to
banish the idea from the mind of the amateur,
that he had travelled so long a distance from
the Metropolis, to obtain so little sport be-
tween the above u big-ones."



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



193







THE EVER-GREEN SPORTSMAN OF WOODFORD WELLS



Better to HUNT in fields for health unbought,
Than FEE the Doctor for a nauseous draught!



To Gladsome, hark ! hark !
High ! wind h m ! and cross him.!
Now Governess, Syren, hark !



TOM RouxD'NG was a hunter bold,

As e'er follow'd a bound :
A jolly fellow good as gold,

In friendship, firm aud sound.

Tom long has fiv'd at Woodford YVella,
The sign, the Horse and Groom ;

A pleasing ride for West-end Swells,
And has a cheerful room.



The company drive down in flocks,

On Sundays ev'ry day
See Actors, Poets men of Stocks,

All dress'd so pricue and gay.

Now Rouading's is a House of Call
Indeed: for " CHOICE Si-inns!' 1

And t-hose who love the bat arad la!l ;
With many other merits.



O



PIERCE EOAN'S BOOK OF SPOKTS.



Kiister time 'tis quite a treat,

The famous EPPING HUNT ;
To view the Cockneys all dead beat,

And, PICKING up, the blunt.

Such jolly dogs a roaring trade,

The high, the game, the poor;
With many a swaggering blade,

And many a noisy boor !

All sorts of coves, fat, thin, and lank,

All in a merry mood ;
Amongst them, fam'd GEORGE CUUIKSHAKK.,

And, /wn-uing TOMMY Hoou.

To please the Town, and give a sketch,

With ' Oddities and Whims'
The public mind upon the stretch,

To purchase his " BUOAU GLU.VS !"

Then down they went to sketch the fun,

A caricaturing shy !
And Tommy Hood quite full of fun ;

But BOTH " u]io7i the sly'"

Then Hood ho cast his eyes around,

As far as he could see,
The motley fcroup with mirth abound,

To make his PUNS so free !



George, with his pencil, heav
On sketching Tommy's frame

Said, " such a man should never die,*
So great jn hunting fame !''

" Tommy must bolt ! like other men i

No use to grieve and grunt,"
Said Tommy Hood, showing his pen,

" When Death does ROUNDING hunt."

Said Hood to George, " come fill your glass,
Here's Tom Rounding'! good heulth 1

Way years and years jollily pass,
Before Tom's ta'en by stealth."

" My thanks, my boys clever J young men,

I've led a jolly life,
And drank, and sang three score and ten,

Unmix.'d with foe and strife !

" On Spankairay I've led the field,

And cheer'd the op'ning pack ;
But TOM to Time must bend and yield,

Although was " once the crack."



* If not expressed, perhaps, with the same warmth of
feeling, as my uncle Toby did over the dying Lieutenant
in his argument with Corporal Trim, we have not the
lightest doubt but there was as much of heart attached
to the sentence, and our friend, George, was perfectly
right such good fellows cannot be spared ! Tom Round-
ing is not an everyday sort of man, either in the cha-
racter of "Mine Host," or in the field as a Sportsman,
and the loss of such a character leaves an awful ctmsm
in the society of his friends, who were frequently in
the habit of enjoying his company.

t It is well known that DEATH does hunt up all his
subjects sooner or later, whether in the field or other-
wise ; and DKATH, so grimly personified by the artist
in " Death's Doings," appears to be always in at the
death ; therefore, if any thing like a Pun can be con-
strued towards the above sentence, if it is not con-
sidered as deadly, lively at all events, it cannot be
denied but it is a very grave one !

J A good truism of Old Tom for if George Cruik-
shank, and the facetious punster Thomas Hood, are
not deserving of the title of " clever men," we do
not know where to find them ; but both the above
Gents., as the Players wish to have it said of
them, have been "found out " by the public ; and those
men who can make the multitude laugh heartily
without appearing in propria persona before them,
must prove themselves a tiny bit above the rank of
Cimimoners in the Stale of Talent!



"With Gladsome good Governess gay.

And Syren at my heels ;
Ev'ry dog has had his day, '

The adage OLD TOM feels !

' With gratitude my pulse will beat,

Nor e'er depart therefrom ;
Till I'm gone to my last ' RKTUEAT,'

You'll then remember TOM !"

Nothing can be more pleasing to the feel-
ings of the biographer, when he has little
more to perform respecting the hero of his
sketch, than to deliver " a round, unvarnished
tale !" Such being the case in the present
instance, and the touches of art not being
required to increase the portrait we are about
to present to the supporters of the " Book of
Sports," we have only to say come forth thoa
truly sportsman-like hero TOM ROUNDING
and the likeness, we flatter ourselves, will
be pronounced, genuine:

Thrice happy they who sleep in humble life,
Beneath the stoim ambition blows !

Tom and Dick Hounding were brothers, and
were bnru at Wood ford on Epping Forest,
bred up in the sports of the chase, and lived
together fifty years ; and if Tom has never
had occasion to trouble the Heralds' College
to furnish him with a ' Coat of Arms,' nor
hare been called upon to produce his pedigree.
the following song in the Opera of ' The
Farmer' bears so strong an analogy to his
ancestors, and his own iTDnjedifttfi character
that we are induced to quote it :

Ere around the huge oak, that o'ershadows yen mill,

The fond ivy had dared to entwine ;
Ere the church was a ruin that nods on the hill

Or the rooks built their nest on the pine ;

Could I trace back the time, of a far distant date,
Since my forefathers' toil'd on this field ;

And the farm I now hold on your honour's estate,
Is the same which my grandfather till'd.

He dying, bequeath'd to his son a good name ;
^ Which unsullied descended to me;
For my child I've preserved it, unblcmiihe with

shame ;
And it still from a spot shall go free !

The two lloundings commenced their hunt-
ing career with the celebrated Will Dean,
Dick Fairbrother, and Tom Hatterill, as good
Sportsmen as ever England produced ; and
continued hunting with them, as also with the
fox-hounds of Andrew Archer and Coke,
Esqs., and other gentlemen, till the year 1792.
At that period, Tom and Dick Rounding es-
tablished a pack of fox-hounds, and hunted

* Such thoughts will, at times, come across our
minds, in spite of all our fortitude to ward off' the
grand climax of our existence. Shakspeare has most
beautifully impressed this sublime truth upon our
memory :



the Great Globe itself!



Yea, all who inherit it, shall dissolve !

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a wreck behind !

"Thusman passes away ;" observes an elegant modern
author, " his name perishes from record and recollec-
tioi ; his HISTORY is as a tale that is told, and his
very MONUMENT becomes a ruin."



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



195



great portion of Essex, including a circum-
ference of upwards of one hundred miles ;
having run equal to any pack of hounds that
ever hunted the country. "As the foxes in
Essex are so vermin bred," Dick has been
heard to say to Tom, " There will be no end
to such a fox." <; But we'll try, Dick," re-
plied Tom ; " and so let us be off', and see
which has the best bit of blood." In the true
huntsman's style, it was a fine treat to hear
Tom Rounding in thefield, calling out, " Hark
forward ! look at Tyrant, Gladsome, and Go-
verness. See here they go ! what a head they
make altogether ! get forward my boys ! they
are laying at him, as bitter as soot. Now,
now for the brush !"

A celebrated fox-hunter in Essex has been
often heard to say, " I compare Dick and his
gray horse to the moon ; the longer and faster
I ride, no nearer can I get to them."

It is worthy of remark, at the period alluded
to, the two Roundings did not possess an acre
of ground in the country ; and no hounds
hunted a country more pleasant than tney
did. The land-owners and farmers of Essex
were such lovers of fox-hunting, and tin- < \-
cellent sport which the chase alforded them,
that not a murmur escaped their lips. Indeed,
the contrary was the fact, as it was the gene-
ral expression of these gentlemen to Tom and
Dick Rounding, "Why do you pass our houses
in returning home ? You know we have at
all times ale and bread and cheese for you
and the field, with a hearty welcome."

The two brothers continued hunting with
those hounds till 1813, when poor Dick was
attacked vith a fever and died. This proved
a severe separation for Tom Rounding; and
it was a considerable time before he got the
better of it. At length he took the fie'd once
more, and mounted his old favorite horse,
Spankaicay, to join his brother sportsmen.
Tom's appearance amongst them was hailed
with delight; and many brave sportsmen can
bear testimony of the unrivalled sport they
enjo) ed, and also the numerous glorious chases
which took place.

His fine old horse, Spankaway, was bred by
G. Smith/ Esq., and got by Ruler, out of a
Phenomenon mare, and foaled in the year
1792. Time will undermine the strongest
fabric ; therefore, his brother sportsmen may
form some opinion of the place his master now
can take with the hounds; but he still will
be with them now and then to join in the
whoo-whoop !"

No man, in the character of " Mine Host,"
stands higher in the estimation of the public
than the above veteran sportsman, as an ex-
cellent caterer for his friends. Tom's wines
are of the first quality ; his liquors equally
excellent; and his dinners are served up in
a style so attractive, as to evince Rounding's
taste for the ' good things of this life.'

The Horse and Groom is a place of great
resort during the summer months : the situn-
tion of which from the Metropolis is just the



" rignt sort of pleasant drive" to the man,
and not fatiguing to the horse; and from
twenty to thirty gigs, besides other vehicles,
may be seen standing before Tom Rounding's
house every Sunday. The garden attached
to the inn is delightful, and the prospects by
which it is surrounded truly picturesque and
interesting to the spectator; and the "How
d'ye do?" and " How do you ?" again, occa-
sioned by the meeting of old acquaintances,
render WoodfordWells a most attractive situa-
tion for the lively and wealthy cits and sporting
men in general. Indeed, it might be said, the
Horse and Groom is the resort of men of
talent of every description, where they can
unbend with ease and pleasure, and yet pre-
serve their dignity. The heroes and heroines
of the ' Sock and Buskin' are frequently to
be met with here * enjoying their hour,' and
HUmiring the beauties of nature ! Old Tommy
is a favorite with every body there is so
much hospitality and frankness attached to
his character and manners and the most
prominent feature in his face, is good nature.
We have drank Champaigne here with the
celebrated ' Meg Merrilies;' took Madeira
with King Harry the Eighth ; and had our
goblet of brandy and water filled, again and
again, with the highly talented Dogberry
moments only to be remembered with satisfac-
tion and delight. We have also given our
opinion on claret with some of the " Plumbs *
of the City" who have left their great weight
and importance at home for a short period, in
order to spend a pleasant hour or two like
rational beings, giving Cocker a holidny, vrith
clever fellows and men of intellect, but less
favored by fortune and vfao had not ac-
quired the secret of " How to grow rich."

At the Horse and Groom also, we have met
with in " Life's variegated scene," on our
" Road to the Mill," and at other times some
of the tip-top heroes of the Fancy ; and we
never have yet had to complain that our
imagination has been injured in the slightest
degree by an intercourse with the brave fel-
lows of the P. R. In truth, from the Duke
to the Beggar, Tom Rounding never appeared
at a loss civility and attention are his guides
upon all occasions and every visitor is treated
according to his deserts; and yet there is
nothing like " whip/iing" attached to his con-
duct. Hem lShakspeare.

The sports on Easter Monday may be said
to be under the control of Mr. Rounding, who
turns out the stag on the above day, and
which circumstance gives such notoriety to
the EPPING HUNT, so famous in the annals of
cockneyism and which is so richly and cha-
racteristically described by the facetious
TOMMY HOOD, that we have made the follow-
ing quotation from his amusing work :

All sorts of vehicles and vans,

Bad, middling, and the smart ;
Here roll'd along the gay barouctn,

And there a dirty cart.

* City flang.A man worth 100,900/.

o *



190



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



And lo ! a cart that held a squad,

Of coster-monger line,
With one poor hack,. like Pegasus,

That slav'd for all the Nine 1

Yet marvel not at any load,

That any horse might drag ;
When a.HHhat morn at once were drawn

Together hy a stag !
Now when they saw John Huggins* go,

At such a sober pace ;
" Hallo !" cried they ; " come, trot away.

You'll never see the chase 1"
But John, as grave as any judge,

Made answers quite as blunt ;
' It will be time enough to trot,

When I begin to hunt."
And so he paced to Woodford Wells.

Where many a horseman met,
And letting go the reins, of course,

Prepared for heavy wet.
And lo ! within the crowded door,

Stood ROITNDING, jovial elf;
Here shall the Muse frame no excuue,

But frame the man himself.

A snow white head.t a merry eye,

A cheek of jolly blush ;
A claret tint laid on by health,

With master Reynard's brush.

A. hearty frame v a courteous bow,

The prince he learn'd it from ;
His age about three-score and ten,

And there you have Old TOM.

In merriest key, I trow was he,

So many guests to boa it,
So certain congregations meet,

And elevate the host.

" Now welcome lads," quoth he, " and pradj

You're all in glorious luck :
Old Robin has a run to-day,

A noted forest buck."

A pleasing association of ideas is con-
nected with the recollection of our first visit
to the Easter Hunt the animating bustle on
the road a complete picture of life in all its
varieties the strange mixture oi'pedestrians
and esquestrians, from the costermonger on his
donkey to the best thorough-bred gent. The
gibes and sneers from the well-mounted downy
ones to the flats and dragsmen the fast goers,
with the friendly nods of sporting spirits
their rendezvous and pull up at our esteemed
and old friend Tom Rounding's. We think we
see this fine old huntsman, with his good-
humoured countenance, greeting his friends
with his hearty " How d'ye do glad to see
you here- -what, my old acquaintance ? Harry,
take this gentleman's horse," &c. Here fol-
low seeing the stag, finishing your lunch,
and, while commenting on the motley arrivals,
some friend whispers d cheval :



* The hero of Mr. Hood's Epping Hunt a second
John Gilpin : who also went further than he intended,
but nevertheless came home safe at last.

t Mr. Hood, we trust, will pardon us, but tn<.te is
everything ; and although we love a good pun, and
enter into the spirit of that species of wit, when it
flows spontaneously from the mind yet, iu our hum-
ble opinion, the above two verses are the very best in
the Book they are true to Nature there is life blood
a.tached to them, and must be considered as a rich
pen and ink portrait of our worthy old Sporting
friend, " mine Host" of Woodford Wells.



'Tis near the time o' day
The hounds begin to bay ;
Each at his best speed
Starts for Fair Mead.

Then begins the bustle of mounting, and, on
the hill, the beautiful assemblage of the fair
sex, in elegant carriages, finely grouped with
the pedestrians and equestrians, form, with
the surrounding scenery, a beautiful pano-
ramic view. Then comes our friend Tom
with

All the attendants of the chase,
While anxious sportsmen take their place -
The stag turns out, and gracefully bounds
Before the music of the hounds.

Then follows a scene that is as difficult to
conceive to those who have not seen it as to
describe by those who have seen huntsmen
who never hunted before. Horses that hunt
without riders are to be seen scattered over
the forest, intermixed with c/iaiy-carts, don-
kies, ponies, and pedestrians, while the few
well mounted sportsmen, who know how to
keep their proper places, are soon lost sight
of : it is thus that Mr. HOOD gives the reader
a fine pictorial sketch of it :

'Twas strange to think what difference

A single creature made ;
A single stag had caused a whole

Stagnation in their trade.

Now Hugpins from his saddle rose,

And in the stirrups stood ;
And lo ! a little cart that came,

Hard by a little wood,

In shape like half a hearse though not