^2 THE HISTORY AND ART 



The origin of Saddles is not exa<5tly known : fome 

 writers among the moderns, attribute their invention 

 to the Saliiy a people among the ancient Franks ; and 

 hence they fetch the Latin word Sella, a faddle. This 

 alTertion, however, can amount to nothing more than 

 a conjedture, becaufe the word Sella fignifies, in gene- 

 ral, any thing upon which a man may fit, a chair, 

 ftool, or bench ; and under this denomination, a 

 thing called a Saddle, may be comprehended, but the 

 term could not alone be expreflive of what we call a 

 Saddle. The ufage and pra<5lice, however, of latter ages 

 have confined it to that fignification, although the 

 thing meant by it was unknown to the Romans, in 

 whofe language the word was always underftood in a 

 general fenfe. 



The firll time we hear of faddles, is in the year of 

 Chrift 340, when Conjianthis endeavouring to deprive 

 his brother Conjiant'me of the empire, oppofed his army, 

 and entering the fquadron where Conftaniine was, at- 

 tacked, and unhorfed, by throwing him out of the 

 faddle, as we learn from the hiftorian Zonaras. 



The emperors which fuccecded made many regu- 

 lations concerning horfes, and occafionally take notice 

 of faddles. 



There is a refcript in the Theodofian Code, given by 

 the emperors Vahntinian, Theodojiiis, and Jrcadius, which 

 prefcribes the exa^ft weight of a faddle, confining it to 

 fixty pounds, including the bridle ; and ordaining that 

 the cloak -bag with which people travelled, Ihould 



weigh 



