i62 THE HISTORY AND ART 



and improved by the foil and climate, "W-hich operate 

 very powerfully, and produce all the variations and 

 diflindlions which we fee in the animal and Vegetable 

 worlds. With refpedl to the horfes of this country, 

 this is really the fadt at this day, and has immemorably 

 been fo ; for admired and valued as they are, and have 

 been, there is no pure and unmixed blood among the 

 finer, if among the middling breeds, as among the 

 Arabs, but all of the firft clafs are diredlly or remotely 

 allied to foreign blood. The foil and climate, there- 

 fore, mull be thought greatly to contribute in form- 

 ing their merit ; otherwife, rich and curious perfons 

 of other nations would adl more wifely to raife a 

 breed of their own, to fupply their wants from thofe 

 very countries, where the anceftors of the Englilh 

 horfes are brought ; but they find by experience, that 

 the defccndants of thefe horfes do not thrive and fuc- 

 ceed fo well in other countries as in this nation, owing, 

 no doubt, to the fecret operations of nature, and to 

 the more apparent efFedts of foil and climate, or, to 

 what the French call in Fruity the Gout de Terroir. 



•^lippe folo natttra fubeji. 



Notwithftanding the fondnefs which Atheljian difco^ 

 vered for Englifli horfes, and his jealoufy of their be- 

 ing fent into other countries, it is certain that he en- 

 tertained a good opinion of fome Foreigners, and received 

 fcveral as prefents, which were fent from the conti- 

 nent. 



