A doubt to the same purport had come across the Doctor; for it so happened that one of his theories bore very much in support of Nicholas's unfavourable prepossession. Eclipse was at that time in his glory; and Eclipse was in the case of those children who are said by our Law to be more than ordinarily legitimate, tho' he was not like one of these double legitimates enabled at years of discretion to chuse for himself between the two possible fathers. Whether Eclipse was got by Shakespear or by Old Marsk was a point of which the Duke of Cumberland and his Stud Groom at one time confessed themselves ignorant; and though at length, as it was necessary that Eclipse should have a pedigree, they filiated him upon Old Marsk, Dr. Dove had amused himself with contending that the real cause of the superiority of that wonderful horse to all other horses was, that in reality he was the Son of both, and being thus doubly begotten had derived a double portion of vigour. It is not necessary to explain by what process of reasoning he had arrived at this conclusion; but it followed as a necessary inference that if a horse with two Sires inherited a double stock of strength, a horse who had no Sire at all must, _pari ratione_, be in a like proportion deficient. And here the Doctor must have rested had he not luckily called to mind that Canto of the Faery Queen in which The birth of fayre Belphœbe and Of Amorett is told. how ———wondrously they were begot and bred Through influence of the Heavens fruitfull ray. Miraculous may seem to him that reades So strange ensample of conception; But reason teacheth that the fruitfull seedes Of all things living, through impression Of the sun-beames in moyst complexion Doe life conceive, and quick'ned are by kynd; So after Nilus' inundation Infinite shapes of creatures men doe fynd Informed in the mud on which the Sunne hath shynd. Great Father he of Generation Is rightly called, th' Authour of life and light; And his faire sister for creation Ministreth matter fit, which tempred right With heate and humour breedes the living wight. So delighted was he with this recollection, and with the beautiful picture of Belphœbe which it recalled, that he would instantly have named the foal Belphœbe,—if it had happened to be a filly. For a moment it occurred to him to call him Belphœbus; but then again he thought that Belphœbus was too like Belphegor, and he would not give any occasion for a mistake, which might lead to a suspicion that he favoured Nicholas's notion of the Devil's concern in the business.