112 INTRODUCTION. 



a saddle-horse in the legends of Europe, and second 

 in speed only to the Persian, was that which, after 

 the overthrow of the Macedonian dynasties, became 

 conspicuous as the principal stock of the Parthian 

 cavalry, and was distinguished by a muscular form, 

 excellent feet, great courage and elasticity combined 

 with gentleness, but still more by being invariably 

 white, clouded with large deep bay spots, piebald, 

 or more technically called skewbald. This race was 

 known in Europe as early as the arrival of the 

 Centaurs, and historically constituted the Thes- 

 salian and Thracian breeds. It seems that Homer 

 indicates both its speed and colours by the epithets 

 of a/oXo-rwXov ffoxihodsg/Aovtg. * 



Such also was Bucephalus, the celebrated charger 

 of Alexander, which he bought for sixteen talents 

 from Philoiiicus, out of his breeding pastures of 

 Pharsalia. The Parthians valued this race above 

 every other, and bred it almost exclusively, fancy- 

 ing even different coloured eyes in the same animal, 

 probably because they believed a wall or moon-eye 

 enabled it to see better by night. The Romans, 

 however, disliked piebald horses, because they were 

 more easily detected in the dark. 



* Statius, when speaking of the mare of Admetus, points to 

 their Centaur origin : 



" Quern et Thessalicis felix Admetus aboris 

 Vix steriles compescit equas, Centaurica dicunt 

 Semina (credo), adeo sexum indignantur et omnis 

 In vires adducta venus, noctemque diemque 

 Assimilant maculis internigrantibus albse. 

 In the sequel we sliall find Virgil equally attentive to these 

 characters, in describing the Ardean breed. 



