said the man; ’the horse knows you, and therefore shows to more advantage; but I should like to see how he would move under me, who am a stranger.  Will you let me get into the saddle, young man?’ ‘No,’ said I; ’I will not let you get into the saddle.’  ‘Why not?’ said the man.  ‘Lest you should be a Yorkshireman,’ said I, ‘and should run away with the horse.’  ‘Yorkshire?’ said the man; ’I am from Suffolk, silly Suffolk, so you need not be afraid of my running away with the horse.’  ‘Oh! if that’s the case,’ said I, ’I should be afraid that the horse would run away with you; so I will by no means let you mount.’  ‘Will you let me look in his mouth?’ said the man.  ‘If you please,’ said I; ‘but I tell you, he’s apt to bite.’  ’He can scarcely be a worse bite than his master,’ said the man, looking into the horse’s mouth; ’he’s four off.  I say, young man, will you warrant this horse?’ ‘No,’ said I; ’I never warrant horses; the horses that I ride can always warrant themselves.’  ’I wish you would let me speak a word to you,’ said he.  ‘Just come aside.  It’s a nice horse,’ said he in a half-whisper, after I had ridden a few paces aside with him.  ’It’s a nice horse,’ said he, placing his hand upon the pommel of the saddle, and looking up in my face, ’and I think I can find you a customer.  If you would take a hundred, I think my lord would purchase it, for he has sent me about the fair to look him up a horse, by which he could hope to make an honest penny.’  ‘Well,’ said I, ’and could he not make an honest penny, and yet give me the price I ask?’ ‘Why,’ said the go-between, ’a hundred and fifty pounds is as much as the animal is worth, or nearly so; and my lord, do you see—­’ ‘I see no reason at all,’ said I, ’why I should sell the animal for less than he is worth, in order that his lordship may be benefited by him; so that if his lordship wants to make an honest penny, he must find some person who would consider the disadvantage of selling him a horse for less than it is worth as counterbalanced by the honour of dealing with a lord, which I should never do; but I can’t be wasting my time here.  I am going back to the —–­ , where, if you, or any person, are desirous of purchasing the horse, you must come within the next half-hour, or I shall probably not feel disposed to sell him at all.’  ‘Another word, young man,’ said the jockey, but without staying to hear what he had to say, I put the horse to his best trot, and re-entering the town, and threading my way as well as I could through the press, I returned to the yard of the inn, where, dismounting, I stood still, holding the horse by the bridle.

* * * * *

I did not like reviewing at all—­it was not to my taste; it was not in my way; I liked it far less than translating the publisher’s philosophy, for that was something in the line of one whom a competent judge had surnamed ‘Lavengro.’  I never could understand why reviews were instituted; works of merit do not require to be reviewed, they can speak for themselves, and require no praising; works of no merit at all will die of themselves, they require no killing.