Memorials and Other Papers — Volume 1De Quincey, Thomas
General
Memorials and Other Papers — Volume 1
De Quincey, Thomas
English essays
would happen that the horses, which it had cost him three or four hours
to find, could be spared only for four or five miles. Such a journey can
rarely have been accomplished. Our zigzag course had prolonged it into
from two hundred and thirty to two hundred and fifty miles; and it is
literally true that, of this entire distance from Westport House to
Sackville-street, Dublin, not one furlong had been performed under
the spontaneous impulse of our own horses. Their diabolic resistance
continued to the last. And one may venture to hope that the sense of
final subjugation to man must have proved penally bitter to the horses.
But, meantime, it vexes one that such wretches should be fed with
good old hay and oats; as well littered down also in their stalls as a
prebendary; and by many a stranger, ignorant of their true character,
should have been patted and caressed. Let us hope that a fate, to which
more than once they were nearly forcing _us_, namely, regress over a
precipice, may ultimately have been their own. Once I saw such another
case dramatically carried through to its natural crisis in the
Liverpool Mail. It was on the stage leading into Lichfield; there was no
conspiracy, as in our Irish case; one horse only out of the four was the
criminal; and, according to the queen's bench (Denman, C. J.), there
is no conspiracy competent to one agent; but he was even more signally
under a demoniac possession of mutinous resistance to man. The case was
really a memorable one. If ever there was a distinct proclamation
of rebellion against man, it was made by that brutal horse; and I,
therefore, being a passenger on the box, took a note of the case; and
on a proper occasion I may be induced to publish it, unless some Houynhm
should whinny against me a chancery injunction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account