t82 the history and ART 



parks and enclofures, where they may run fecure and 

 immolefted. Hence he takes occafion to proclaim the 

 praifes of Henry Vill. for the attention which he paid 

 to horfes, and for his zealous endeavom'S to flock this 

 nation with a variety of breeds for different purpofcs, 

 by importing the fined, both horfes and mares, from 

 Turky, Naples, Spain, and Flanders ; extolling him at 

 the fame time for his addrefs and fkill in bodily exer- 

 cifes, particularly horfemanfhip, in which, he fays, 

 this monarch was confummate, and equal to Cajior 

 himfclf. From the concurrent teftimonies of other 

 writers, and from the time when this poem was pub- 

 liflied, which was not till after Henry's death, there is 

 great reafon to think thefe praifes were fmcere, unlefs 

 the author may be thought to have complimented 

 Elizaleib in the commendations he fo laviflily beflows 

 upon her father ; which mode of panegyrick may be 

 termed flattery once removed. 



Nor was this monarch only folicitous to introduce 

 and eftablifli a generous and ferviceable breed of horfes 

 in the kingdom, but he extended his cares farther 

 and endeavoured to make his plan flill more ufeful, by 

 providing experienced and fkilful perfons to prefide in 

 his llables, and fpread by their means the rules and 

 elements of horfemanfhip through the nation. This 

 ufeful and becoming art, as the Duke of Newcaftle 

 fays, began, or rather revived, about this time in A^^- 

 pks. The perfon who firft taught it there was named 

 PignatcIU. Henry invited two Italians, who had been 



I his 



