OF HORSEMANSHIP. 29 



troduced into the third remaining part of the globe, 

 called Europe. 



It is imagined, and the conjecfture is by no means 

 groundlefs, that the colonies which came from Phoe- 

 nicia and Egypt, countries in which equitation flou- 

 rifhed, brought the art with them, and eftablillied it 

 in Greece, long before the fiege of Troy ; and indeed 

 it would be very furpriling, and fcarcely credible, 

 that an art which promoted the convenience and plea- 

 fure of mankind in fo great a degree, lliould remain 

 entirely with the inventors, and not pafs into neigh- 

 bouring countries, and be adopted by all who were 

 once acquainted with it. 



As many reafons have already been urged, and 

 many authorities produced from the facred writings, 

 in order to prove, that riding on horfeback was at 

 leafl: coeval, if not prior, to the ufe of chariots, fo it 

 may not be improper likewife to have recourfe to the 

 oldefl authors, in order to fee what farther knowledge 

 may be gleaned from them. 



Homer, the oldeft poet, and, in fomc inflances, the 

 oldefl pagan hiftorian, fpeaks of riding fo familiarly 

 in fome parts of his poems, that we mull believe it 

 was known, and in ufe among the Greeks, before he 

 compofed his Iliad and OdyfTey. 



Two paiTages of this poet, one in the i 5th book of 

 the Iliad, the other in the 5 th of the OdyiTeyj will 

 prove this alTertion. 



In 



