ANCIENT CHARIOT. 287 



certainly moft commonly drawn with a pair of jugal 

 horfes, and a pair of extrajugal horfes coupled on each 

 fide. The bufmefs of guiding, keeping fleady, and 

 flopping the carriage, depended chiefly on the jugal 

 pair; that of wheeling up each extreme axle depended 

 on the ftrength and adtivity of the refpedive outfide 

 extrajugal horfe, as will be feen prefently. 



The conftruftion and the compolidon of this equi- 

 page of the Bij'uga, the Irlg^e, and ^adriga, being thus 

 defcribed, the exercife of thefe in the games, and the 

 application of them to fervice in war, is the next point 

 to be inquired into. This inquiry will flill more il- 

 luftrate the matter. 



The whole of this is contained in one line in Homer, 



which Mr. Pope tranflates thus : 



Praftis'd alike to turn, to flop, to cliace. 

 To dare the ftiock, or urge the rapid race. 



If we view this line in the light of fcience, we fhall 

 find that it does very minutely defcribe every manoeuvre 

 ufed in the evolutions of the chariot, the advancing 

 and retreating, and thofe fudden rapid wheelings to 

 the right or left, by which they make their almoft ir- 

 reliftible attacks ; which motion, as I fliall afterwards 

 explain it, is appropriated, of very ancient time, to the 

 movements of the knights in the game of chefs. 



♦ Iliad viii. 107, 



In 



