OF HORSEMANSHIP. 45 



Greece gave many appellations to her horfemen, 

 diftinguifhing them by the particular forts of armour 

 which they wore, and by the manner of riding and 

 fighting. The Ay,<^i7C7toi were fuch as had two horfes 

 affigned to one man, on which he rode by turns, 

 vaulting from one upon the other, as the circum- 

 ftances of battle required. Others there were who 

 fought on horfeback and on foot, like modern dra- 

 goons, and had fervants attending to hold their horfes, 

 whenever they got down to fight. The xsXric, or fingle 

 horfe, was ufed upon different occafions, but moft fre- 

 quently for the purpofe of running in the public 

 games, like our race-horfes. 



The Grecian horfemen always fet off to the left,. 

 preferring that hand, as we do to the right ; and 

 were ufed in forming their horfes, to work them in 

 circles, in order to make them fupple, and ready to 

 turn to either. 



The Thejfalian horfes, by the agreement of all 

 v/riters, were the raoft famous of ancient Greece, and 

 valued and admired not only by the inhabitants of that 

 country, but by the moft judicious and experienced 

 perfons of other nations. They were celebrated even 

 to a proverb, which fays, that among horfes, the 

 ThefTalian breed was the nobleft ; as among women, 

 the Lacedaemonian were the moft beautiful. 



Theocritus honours them with his praifes, and fays, 

 that a cyprefs-tree in a garden, and a TheJjhUan horfe 

 drawing a chariot, are moft pleafing objects, and fupe- 



riorly 



