546 THE H18T0KY OF THE HORSE 



national institution. The Merry Monarch was the greatest supporter of the 

 turf England has ever known. He not only enoouraged and patronized the 

 race-courses already in existence, but he also added to those established by 

 his father at Hyde Park, Newmarket, and at other places, that at Datchet 

 Mead, near Windsor, being the most celebrated. Newmarket became his 

 favourite resort. There he built a palace and large stables, which he filled 

 with Eastern horses obtained by his Master of the Horse for breeding pur- 

 poses. These animals were Arabians and Barbs, both stallions and mares, 

 which latter and also some of their produce were called royal mares. During 

 this reign Oriental horses were numerously imported, and racing began to 

 assume an improved character. Treatises on horses were issued from the 

 press, and one on horsemanship, published by the Duke of Newcastle, gives 

 descriptions of various foreign horses, and advice relative to breeding them 

 for specific purposes — for war, the menage, and the turf, — and he selects the 

 Barb as his ideal of what a horse should be. He writes: "The Barbary 

 horses I freely confess are my favourites; I allow preference as to shape, 

 strength, natural air, and docility. Mountain Barbs are horses of the best 

 courage; many of them bear marks of wounds they have received from 

 lions." The same author also suggests how an improvement can be effected 

 upon native stock by careful selection of parents. " The best stallion is a 

 well-chosen Barb or beautiful Spanish horse. Some people believe that a 

 Barb or Jennet produces too small a breed. There is no fear of having 

 a horse too small in England, since the moisture of the climate and fatness 

 of the land rather produces horses too large. In choice of breeding mares I 

 would advise you to take either a well-shaped Spanish or Neapolitan ; when 

 these are not easily obtained, then a beautiful English mare of good colour 

 and well marked." Previously to this reign we may assume that winning 

 mares and stallions were mated in order to secure and jJerpetuate a race of 

 flyers ; but when the imported Arabs and Barbs were discovered to be faster 

 on the turf than the native stock, they were introduced to the harem with a 

 view of procuring ii^ the offspring that turn of speed which was common to 

 the foreign horses. This combination resulted in success, Avhich was pri- 

 marily effected by such horses as Dodsworth Pace's White Turk, and 

 numerous other Barbs and Arabians, whose stock in later reigns laid the 

 foundation from which the superiority of the English horse arose. During 

 the short reign of James II there is little about horses worth mentioning. 

 Oriental horses were still imported. The Lister Turk was brought to 

 England by the Duke of Berwick, being taken at the siege of Buda. 

 This horse was the sire of many celebrated horses : Snake, Brisk, 

 Conyskins, &c. The king was devoted to hunting, and kept a large 

 stud of hunters. He is said to have been a fine horseman, and for this 



