528 THE HISTORY OF THE HOKSE 



given way to the importations from Sjjain and Capjjadocia. All the 

 countries named, it will be seen, owed their excellence to one source, to the 

 horses of Africa, which had no rival until the descendants of the Barb and 

 Arab, represented in the British thoroughbred, became kings «of the equine 

 race. Cabs also represented another institution which caused horses to be 

 in demand. The Roman cab was a two- wheeled vehicle capable of seating 

 two persons besides the driver, and was drawn by one or two horses or 

 mules. These vehicles were stationed about Rome, and were kept for hire 

 on the great roads. Cicero mentions a case where a messenger travelled 

 56 miles in ten hours over these highways. From the foregoing we 

 learn the various uses in which the horses of Rome had l)een employed, and 

 although the Circus Puhlicns and cisia (cabs) demanded the assistance of 

 strong horses, we find that the Latin authors who wrote conjointh^ on the 

 tillage of the soil and the treatment of animals never mention the horse as 

 having been engaged in agricultural operations. Virgil, in his Georgics, 

 discourses about trees and crops, but tells more about the cultivation of 

 bees than any other animal, and devotes only a very small space to the 

 consideration of equine lore. Yegetius (a late Latin writer) gives descrip- 

 tions of the various breeds of horses that existed in Italy, and indicates the 

 different kinds of labour they had to perform, but the farmdiorse is not 

 included in his catalogue. For the circus, he writes: "The Spanish horse 

 excels all others, even the Sicilian, although African horses are the swiftest 

 of any. For the saddle above all the Persian horses are the easiest in 

 carriage and most soft in step, afterwards come the Armenian, nor should 

 the horses of Sicily and Epirus be despised, though not equal to them in 

 deportment nor in form." For chariots he recommends the Cappadocian 

 horse; for war that of the Huns, which breed he thus descril>cs: "The 

 horse of the Huns is known from all other breeds by the great curving 

 outward of the front of the head, by his prominent eyes, small nostrils, 

 broad jaws, stiff" neck, mane I'eaching to the knees, wide ribs which stand 

 out, hollow back, tail copious with long and curly hairs, stout shanks, 

 small fetlocks, large and spreading hoofs, hollow flanks, angular body with 

 projecting points of bone, length which exceeds his height, belly when it 

 is empty and when the horse is out of condition hanging low, bones every- 

 where large, agreealjle leanness of appearance which contributes to him 

 rather a grace than a deformity, gentle and cautious temper, and by his 

 patient endurance of the wounds and casualties of war ". For the saddle, 

 owing to their easy gait, he prefers Persian horses, which " in stature and 

 fashion are much the same as other kinds, but the great difference consists 

 in their walking with a grace peculiar to them, for their steps are very short 

 and frequent, and this makes riding delightful; nor can they be taught it by 



