OF HORSEMANSHIP. 69 



extraordinary feats of agility * upon them : fucli as 

 Handing upright, fpringing upon them at once, laying 

 down along his back, picking up things from the 

 ground in full fpeed, and leaping from one horfe to 

 another, whence they were diftinguiflied by the title of 

 Defultores, or Leapers. Suetonius fays, that in the time 

 of Julius Cxfar, who was an expert and diftinguiflied 

 horfeman, the youths of the nobleft families ufed to 

 ride in this manner -, and fo fond were the Romans of 

 riding, that to be ignorant of it was a proverbial re- 

 proach, and reflected as much difgrace, as not to be 

 able to write or read f. 



Upon certain occalions, and efpecially in the races 

 of the Circus, they preferred, like the Scythians and 

 Greeks, mares to horfes, judging them to be fleeter, 

 and more fit to endure violence and fatigue, ^lian, 

 Pliny, Horace, and Virgil, celebrate the fpeed and abi- 

 lities of the mare, as being efteemed fuperior to thofe 

 of the horfe. The laft of thefe authors fpeaks of them 

 as being more efteemed than horfes in the Olympic 

 race. The reafon which is affigned for this prefe- 

 rence, has already been mentioned ; but without en- 

 tering into any difcuillon concerning it, it is but 

 juftice to the female fex, to acknowledge, that it is at 

 leaft in all particulars equal to the male ; and that in 



» Vid. Sil. Ital. lib. 16.— Maniliijs, lib, 4.-— Procop. Gothicis, lib. 8. 

 Agathias, lib. 32. — Firmicus, lib. 8. 

 t Ncque equitare, nee literas fcire. 



the 



