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Show j CROMWELL AND HIS HORSES. An Accident That Eefell the Protector While Driving In Hyde Park. C. H. Firth, in an article on Oliver Cromwell's association with horses, saya in Macmillan's Magazine: "As Cromwell rose in power and rank his lovo of horses began to be more conspicuous. con-spicuous. When he started from London Lon-don in 1G49 to reconquer Ireland, he went forth in that state and equipage as the like hath hardly been seen himself in a coach with, six gallant Flanders mare's, reddish gray." In 1655, when the Spanish embassador took his leave of the lord protector, Cromwell sent him "his own coach of six white horses'" to convey him to and from Whitehall, "Certain it is," adds the narrator, 'that none of the English kings had ever any such. " The protector was not much of a whip, however. In 1654 the Count of Oldenburg sent Cromwell a present of six horses, and the protector's anxiety to make trial cf their quality led to hia well known adventure in Hyde park. On Friday, Sept. 29, he went with Secretary Sec-retary Thurloe and some of his gentlemen gentle-men to take air in tho park, ordered tha six horses to be harnessed to his coach, put Thurloe inside of it and undertook to drive himself. "Hi3 highness, " said a letter from the Dutch embassador, "drove pretty handsomely for some time, but at last, provoking those horses too much with the whip, they grew unruly, un-ruly, whereby his highness was flung out of the coach box upon the ground. His foot getting hold in the tackling, he. wa3 carried away a good while in that posture, but at last he got his foot clear, and so came to escape. He was presently brought home, and let blood, and after some rest taken is now well again. The secretary, being hurt on his ankle with leaping out of the coach, hath been forced to keep his chamber hitherto and been unfit for any business. busi-ness. " The royalist Scroggs, afterward chief Justice, writing of this incident, hoped that, the next fall would be from a cart Wci, , crnllYV??. A to Irwn- Well'tf views on tle burning question ot horse racing, it is difficult to arrive at a positive conclusion. His constanaim was to possess as many good horses as he could afford. Whether he entered his horses for races or had the satisfaction satisfac-tion of owning a winner history does not say. |
