THE FARMER AT HOME. 53 



rupted passage to navigation, is enough to awaken the admiration of 

 every spectator. 



One of the most celebrated of the bridges of antiquity was that 

 built by Trajan over the Danube. It was erected by that emperor for 

 the conveniency of sending succors to the Roman legions on the other 

 side of the Danube, in case they should be suddenly attacked by the t 

 Daci, but demolished by his successor, Adrian, lest the barbarians, 

 overpowering the guards set to defend the bridge, should, by means 

 of it, pour into Maesia and cut off the garrisons there. 



The celebrated Roman bridge, near Lyons, has long been reckoned 

 one of the finest and boldest of the ancient bridges in France. Its 

 whole length is upwards of eight hundred yards ; it is very crooked, 

 bending in many places, and making several unequal angles, especially 

 in those parts where the Rhone has the strongest current. The arches 

 are from fifteen to twenty fathoms wide, and have their feet, or the 

 bottoms of the piers, protected by two pedestals which project from 

 them ; the lower part of the piers consists of several courses of foot- 

 ings jutting out like steps. Between the great arches there are 

 smaller arches like windows that come down nearly to the top of the 

 pedestals, about the middle of the pier. This mode of construction 

 was adopted with a view of breaking gradually the mighty force of 

 the Rhone, the several courses of steps jutting out from the piers were 

 intended to oppose and break the stream by portions, and prevent it 

 from coming with its full force at once upon the fabric ; and when 

 the flood should rise so high as to cover the steps and pedestals, then 

 the small window-like arches would assist to convey the water through, 

 which might otherwise endanger the great arches. 



Iron being the most abundant, cheap, and generally useful of all 

 metals, has of late been employed in many works where great strength 

 w r as required in proportion to the weight of the material ; hence cyl- 

 inders, beams, and pumps for steam engines, boats, and barges for 

 canals and navigable rivers, beams and pillars for warehouses and 

 other large buildings, and at length bridges, have been constructed of 

 iron. Iron bridges are the invention of British artists. 



BRIDLE. The head-stall, bit and reins by which a horse is 

 governed. The origin of it is of high antiquity. The first horsemen 

 guided their horses with a little stick, and the sound of their voice. 

 A cord drawn through the nose is sometimes used for other animals. 

 The ancient Thessalonian coins often represent a horse with a long 

 rein trailing on the ground. The Romans were trained to fight with- 

 out bridles, as an exercise in the manege. On Trajan's column, 

 soldiers are thus represented at full speed. The parts of a modern 

 bridle are the snaffie or bit ; the fillet, over the forehead, and under 

 the foretop ; the throat band, which buttons undir the throat ; the 

 reins ; the nose band, buckled under the cheeka ; the trench, the 

 cavesson, the martingal, and the chaff halter. 



