SAGACITY OF A HORSE. 173 



In favor of the reading agunU we urge, 1) That all the MSS. have 

 agunt. 2) That it is not probable that alunt would have been changed 

 by transcribers into agunt^ but rather the reverse, ihe latter being the 

 easier form. 3) The primitive idea of ago^ whether in Latin or Greek, 

 is motion^ without any reference to its direction. From the idea of bring- 

 ing to a place is very easily derived that of pleasure accompanying the 

 action, which I have ventured to express by the English word '■'■attract,'''' 

 although I must admit that I have no other example of this at hand, 

 whilst I agree with Heindorffin regarding the passage, seu te discus agil, 

 in Horace Sat. ii, 2, 13, as throwing light upon it, though Mobius ex- 

 presses surprise at this in his Cic. 2G6, § 16. If, however, Dr. Anthon 

 is correct in his note on this passage, (Hor. 282, 13.) and agit is there 

 used "in the sense of delectat or allicit^'' our point is fully established. 

 At all events, 4) with this sense we can see a connection between "ac/o- 

 lesccntiam agunt, and senectutem ohleciant,^'' whilst in '■'•alunt'''' Stc. we 

 can see none. 



Pennsylvania College^ June 1, 1845. 



SAGACITY OF A HORSE. 



Many interesting stories of the sagacity of that noble animal the 

 horse, arc related in books on natural history; but I have lately heard 

 an authentic one which has never yet been recorded. A friend of mine 

 possesses one of the most sensible horses I ever saw, and it may well 

 be supposed that he is a great favorite in the family. About the stable 

 in which he is kept, there are several large dogs, who are on good 

 terms with the horse, and when the latter is allowed to walk about the 

 stable yard, he and the dogs play together quite familiarly. One day, 

 the coachman filled a bucket of water for the horse and set it down to 

 him. The dogs were also very thirsty, and attempted to drink at the 

 same time their equine companion was slaking his thirst. This an- 

 noyed him — he tried to chase them away, but they would not stay 

 away, — he bit at them, but they returned to the bucket, — he tried vari- 

 ous means to monopolize the water, but the obstinate dogs would per- 

 sist in drinking. At length, weary of all liis previous efforts, and un- 

 willing to disable his canine friends, which he might have done by a 

 kick or real bite, he took the iron handle of the bucket in his teeth, car- 

 ried it into the stable, and lifted it into his trough, where he drank to 

 his/ii/Z satisfaction, without being annoyed by the dogs — as much as to 

 say "-after me is manners !" Rustic us. 



