iv.] MECHANICAL AID OF THE RIDER, 51 



a lady's bridle. Could a lady lift it with the left hand ? 

 I think not; though it is commonly supposed that she 

 could. A pull from a curh will indeed give the horse so 

 much pain in the inouth that he will throw his head 

 up, and this so natters the hand that its prowess has 

 saved him, that the rider exclaims "It may be impossible, 

 but it happens every day. Shall I not believe my own 

 senses ? " The answer is, No, not if it can be explained 

 how the senses are deceived. Otherwise, we should still 

 believe, as, till some few centuries ago, the world did 

 believe, that the diurlial motion was in the sun, and not 

 in the earth. Otherwise we must subscribe to the 

 philosophy of the Turk, who 



" Saw with his own eyes the moon was round, 



Was also certain that the earth was square, 

 Because he'd journey'd fifty miles and found 

 No sign of its being circular anywhere." 



But these errors are not harmless errors. They induce Harm is 



done by the 



an ambitious interference with the horse at the moment attem i )t - 

 in which he should be left unconfined to the use of his 



E 2 



