HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 291 



known to have been drawn by horses, and the horsemen were 

 armed, and often came doAvn from their chariots and fought on 

 foot. Profane history informs us that Scsostris, the Pharaoh 

 whom it is probable Joseph served, had twenty-seven thousand 

 war chariots. That chariots and horsemen were common in 

 Egypt at the time of Jacob's death we infer from the state- 

 ment that when Joseph took his father's remains into Canaan, 

 "there went up with him both chariots and horsemen." This 

 was about 1689 years before the birth of Christ. When the 

 chikh-en of Israel fled from Egypt we are informed that Pha- 

 raoh pursued them with " six hundred chosen chariots, and all 

 the chariots of Egypt." This was about 1491 years before the 

 birth of Christ. From Egypt the domesticated horse was 

 taken to Canaan and other neighboring countries. After their 

 journeying in the wilderness, when the Israelites reached 

 Canaan, they were met by the Canaanites " with horses and 

 chariots very many." 



Such are the earliest records we have of the domestication 

 of the horse. We are led to conclude that his usefulness was, 

 probably, first discovered under the administration of Joseph, 

 in Egypt. When Joseph undertook to store away the immense 

 quantity of provisions required for the approaching famine, we 

 may fairly conclude, the limited and slow means of transpor- 

 tation he possessed were entirely inadequate to his necessities, 

 and certainly so wise a ruler would be led to seek other 

 facilities. Nothing could be more natural than the attempt to 

 render the horse serviceable in such an emergency. His first 

 use, we have seen, was probably to draw wagons. And it is a 

 remarkable iact that such is yet his most valuable purpose. 

 If our conclusions are correct, the world owes to that pure and 

 holy ruler the credit of subduing to the dominion of man the 

 most valuable of the animal creation. If he is a benefactor to 

 man who teaches how to make two blades of grass grow where 

 only one grew before, what should be the position assigned to 

 him who taught man the use of the horse, on whose valuable 



