i8 B R E E D I N G. 



to which the colt fliould be afcribed ; how- 

 ever, the time of the mare^s bringing forth 

 (during the great Echpfe) coming neareft 

 to the day Ihe was booked to have been 

 covered by Marjk, to him was attributed 

 the diftinguiflied honour of getting one of 

 the firfl: horfes in the known world ; w^hofc 

 ftrength, power, and fpeed was fo great, that 

 he with eafe double'dijlanced the mqft capital 

 horfes when running with twelve ftone for 

 the king's plate, and afterwards walked over 

 mofl of the king's plate courfes in the king- 

 dom. The doubt refpecSing his jire hav- 

 ing been thus removed, with at leaft an 

 apparent ^degree of precifion, it may natu- 

 rally be fuppofed to have been decided 

 with the ftricleft juftice j but had fuch 

 doubt ftill exifled upon his own pedigree, 

 the fuperiority of his ^qualifications would 

 have appeared in his produce, he having 

 proved the fire of a mofi: wonderful progeny 

 in Mercury^ Meteor^ Soldier^ Gunpowder^ 

 King Fergus y Dungannon^ Bovudfow, Ju- 

 piter ^ FertumnuSy and many others too nu- 

 merous to recite, whofe blood (in fo great 

 a variety of branches) will no doubt be 



continued 



