8o THE ART AND HISTORY 



With refpcct, however, to the two paces, the amble 

 and- the trot, it is to be prefuraed, that the llatuaries 

 might not know the difference, but copied what they 

 faw, and did as they were dire(5ted ; from the evi-%. 

 dences of whofe works it clearly appears that both 

 the paces were ufed ; but it is plain from paffages in 

 many authors, that the amble, or amkdatura, as it is 

 called by Vegetius, was the admired pace ; and that 

 much fkill and labour were employed to render the 

 horfes perfedl in it. After-ages continued the pra(5lice; 

 and modern horfemanfhip, for fome centuries, blindly 

 trod in the fame path: all the writings and treatifes of 

 thofe times, containing rules and dire(5lions for teach- 

 ing by various methods this faulty and imperfedt 

 pace. Light at laft broke in, and good fenfe, and 

 knowledge, founded upon experience, have concurred' 

 to banifh it with contempt from the manege ; where 

 the trot is now confidered and acknowledged as the 

 only pace which can enable a four-footed animal to 

 fupport and balance himfelf with firmnefs and eafe, 

 as the laws of mechanifm require. 



Neverthelefs it is evident upon the whole, that, 

 notwithftanding the truth and foundnefs of this 

 dotftrine, the Romans were either ignorant of the merit 

 of the trot, or dilliked it fo much, as to diftinguilh it 

 by appellations very exprellive of their fentiments con- 

 cerning it. They called a trotting horfe, from the 

 roughncfs of the pace, Succujfjtor, ot Shaker, as we iro- 

 nically name hard trotters, Bone-fetters. Tortorcs, 'Tor- 

 turers, 



