11 



THE HORSE'S COUNTENANCE. 



First, the Eyes. — 'Examine them when he is led 

 from the stall in the day time ; cause the man who 

 leads him, to stop at the stable door just as his head 

 peeps out, and ail his body still within. If the white 

 of the eye appears reddish at the bottom, or of a color 

 like a withered leaf, I would not advise you to pur- 

 chase him. A moon-eyed horse is known by his 

 weeping, and keeping his eyes almost shut at the be- 

 ginning of the distemper. Dealers always tell you 

 that he has got a bit of straw or dirt in his eye, or he 

 has received some blow ; they also wipe away the hu- 

 mour, to prevent its being seen. A man must re- 

 member these things and examine for himself. Ne- 

 ver examine a horse's eye by the side of a white wall, 

 or where snow is on the ground, where the dealers 

 always choose to show a moon-eyed horse. The 

 moon-eyed horse has always one eye bigger than the 

 other, and above his lids you may generally discover 

 wrinkles or circles. Look also and see if you observe 

 a fleshy excrescence that proceeds from ihe corner 

 of the eye, and covers a part of the pupil, and is in 

 shape almost like the beard of an oyster, though 

 seemingly a mattsr of no great consequence, yet it 

 is what I call a whitlow in the eye, and if suffered to 

 grow, it draws away the nourishment of the eye, and 

 sometimes occasions a total privation of sight. On 

 the contrary, if the eyes are round, big, black and 

 shining ; if the black of the eye fill the pit or out- 

 ward circumference, so that in moving, very little of 

 the white appeareth, they are signs of goodness and 

 mettle. The eye that in general is esteemed the best, 

 is that which is neither small nor large ; but be sure 

 to observe that the chrystalline be thoroughly trans- 

 parent, for without that no kind of eye can be said to 

 be good. 



Next take a view of his countenance generally ; 

 especially with regard to the cheerfulness of it ; this 

 being an excellent glass to observee his goodness and 

 best perfections. Be careful you are not deceived by 

 the marks in his face, as frequently a good looking 

 star is made of cat's skin. if his ears be small, 

 sharp, short, pricked, and moving ; or if they are 



