OF HORSEMANSHIP. 6s 



It is impoflible to tranflate this infcription fo as to 

 make it intelligible to the Englifli reader ; to thofe 

 who are acquainted with the language in which it is 

 written, I will, with all deference, fubmit a conjec- 

 ture, which may attempt to give it fome meaning. 

 It feems to be ludicrous, and deligned, perhaps, as a 

 parody upon the known form and ftile of lapidary in- 

 fcriptions. X>isped. is for Dis pedibus, and is oppofed to 

 Dis manibus, allowing the pun between manes and maims, 

 Saxum is contrafted to facnim, the ufual word in epi- 

 taphs. Beneferenti is ufed inftead of benemerenti, a word 

 frequent in monumental formularies ; and the cum rifu 

 feems to juftify the conftrudlion, and confefs that the 

 infcriber was burlefquing, and in joke. 



Menage^ however, notwithftanding what has been 

 advanced, trufling to Vojius, reports, that St. Jerom is 

 the firft author who makes mention of ftirrups, and 

 quotes his very words upon the occafion. He fays, «« that 

 at the time of his receiving certain letters, he was 

 mounting his horfe, and had his foot in the ftirrup 

 (bijiapia).'' This pafTage, however, is not to be found 

 in his epiftles ; and if it were there, it would prove 

 nothing, becaufe St. Jerom lived at a time when ftir- 

 rups are fuppofed to have been invented, and after the 

 life of faddles. Montfaiuon denies the reality of this 

 pafTage, as well as the following infcription, which 

 recounts the death of a perfon, whofe foot , being en- 

 tangled in the ftirrup, as he was difmounting, was 

 dragged by his horfe, and killed upon the fppt. . For 



Vol. T, K the 



