13^ THE HISTORY AND ART 



querable by labour, and endowed with prodigious 

 fpeed. The Tartars live with them almoft in the fame 

 manner as the Arabs do with their horfes ; when they 

 attain the age of feven or eight months, they make 

 their children ride them, who exercife them in fmall 

 excurfions, and fliort reprifes, dreiling and forming 

 them by degrees, and early and gentle difcipline ; 

 but inuring them to undergo (as the Parthians did 

 before them) hunger, thirfl, and many other hard- 

 fliips. They never put them to any ferious labour 

 before the age of fix or feven years, when they re- 

 quire of them the fcvereft fervices, and compel them 

 to incredible fatigue, as travelling two or three days 

 without refting, and paffing four or five with no 

 more, or better nourifhment, than an handful or two 

 of grafs, given every eight hours, and an entire day 

 without quenching their thirft. Thefe horfes, how- 

 ever, which are fo robuft, and endure fo much in 

 their native country, lofe their vigour, and decline 

 when removed into China, or the Indies^ but thrive 

 very well in 'turkey and Perjia, 



They are of a good fize for the faddle, and are Fa~ 

 cers by nature. Their owners, like the ancient Geloni 

 and Sarmatians, make the animals fupply them with 

 food, for they eat their flefli at this day, as well as the 

 Curds, or lac concretum of the mare's milk, mentioned by 

 many ancient writers *. 



■ * Vid. Bell's Travels to Ifpahan. 



The 



