ig6 THE HISTORY AND ART 



' tranfport twelve hoifes, but no mares, as there is a 

 " ftatute againfl it ; and the conctirrence of the Houfe 

 " of Commons is defn-ed therein." 



In fpite, liowever, of this jealoufy and {lri»5lnefs, not 

 to let Englifli horfes be fent into France, it fhould feem 

 that there was no unwillingnefs to let foreign horfes 

 be brought into England ; for we find that this Prince, 

 in the fixth year of his reign, granted a fpecial licence 

 to William Smith, and others, to import horfes, mares, 

 and geldings into this kingdom : the faid Wiliiarn 

 Smith, and others, are alfo enjoined to import Ccacl- 

 horfes. Coach-mares, and coach-geldings, which are not 

 to be under fourteen hands in height, nor under the 

 age of three years, nor exceeding feven * : and from 

 the frequent importation of horfes by our kings, it 

 feems probable, that they fet a greater value upon fo- 

 reign horfes, than on thofe of their own country ; 

 and there are not the lead traces of the Englifh horfes ' 

 being efteemed in the early parts of Rymers Collection. 



We learn likewife from a memorial prefented to 

 Charles by Sir Edward Harwood f, touching the ftate of 

 the kingdom, that there was a great deficiency of good 

 and {lout horfes for its defence, infomuch that it was 

 "a queftion if it could have fur nifhed 2000, that would 

 have been equal to 2000 French: the caufe of this 



* Rymer, vol. 8. p. 131. 



■\ Haikian Mile. vol. 4, p. 2^0. 



evil, 



