OF HORSEMANSHIP. ^i 



became habituaied to danger, pain, and fatigue ; their 

 bodies at the fame time being hardened by toil, and 

 growing more ftrong, healthy, and alert. Nor mull 

 we forget the advantage which was hereby derived to 

 that part of the fports, which only can be confidered 

 here, eguitatioTi, and the culture of horfes. 



From thefe public allemblies, and trials of merit, 

 it is certain much good fruit muH have been gathered; 

 for as Greece, in its early days, could boaft no good 

 horfes, or very few, thefe horfe races (like our own at 

 Newmarket) mull naturally have infpired an emulation 

 among the Greeks, to procure the fineft horfes, and 

 have put them upon ufmg every means which could 

 improve the art of riding, and the qualities of the 

 animal upon which it was to be exercifed. 



It having been already faid that it is foreign to our 

 purpofe to confider the other exercifes which were 

 performed in thefe games, and were called GymnaJIic, 

 becaufe the men who contended in them were naked i 

 I fliall return diredly to my fubje(5l ; and lay before 

 the reader the particulars which remain concerning it. 



It appears from the chronology of the Olympic 

 games, that chariot races were not introduced till the 

 2j:th Olympiad, nor horfe-races till the 23d. It'is a 

 quellion very natural to be alked, how it happened that 

 fuch a fpace of time elapfed, before thefe games were 

 graced with the labours of the horfe ? It is moll pro- 

 bable, that it was owing to the fcarcity of horfes in 

 Greece, at thofe times, and the large cxpences incum- 



• H 2 bent 



