He began life time enough to enjoy certain pleasures from which our young aristocracy of the present day seem, alas! to be cut off.

So much more peaceable and polished do we grow, so much does the spirit of the age appear to equalise all ranks; so strongly has the good sense of society, to which in the end gentlemen of the very highest fashion must bow, put its veto upon practices and amusements with which our fathers were familiar.

At that time the Sunday newspapers contained many and many exciting reports of boxing-matches.

Bruising was considered a fine manly old English custom.

Boys at public schools fondly perused histories of the noble science, from the redoubtable days of Broughton and Slack, to the heroic times of Dutch Sam and the Game Chicken.