292 DISSERTATION ON THE 



wheeling, and were got again into the ftraight right 

 line, at that moment of time the JEniaii charioteer com- 

 ing up to the Meta, in or near the point where the 

 route of the courfe muft crofs ; and his horfes, hard 

 of mouth, breaking from him, fwerved and run foul, 

 with their front direct, upon one of the Lybian cha- 

 riots. This is an accident that could not happen, if 

 the returning line did not crofs upon the outgoing 

 line, by the chariots running the courfe in the figure 

 of eight. But the circumftances of the difaller of the 

 car of Oreftes puts the matter out of all doubt. 



The narrative proceeds, and fays. That this accident 

 between the Lybian and iEnian chariots drew after it 

 an almoft general wreck of the chariots then running. 

 But that the Ikilful Athenian, who was lafl but one, 

 obferving his time, bore to the right out of the courfe, 

 and fo avoided them. That Oreftes, who lay by in 

 the race, as having horfes of that rating way of go- 

 ing, that he depended upon the pufh at the lafl: for 

 his fuccefs y finding that now was the time to make 

 his pufh, bore ftill more to the right, in order to 

 pafs the Athenian J and, for this purpofe, having given 

 the left-hand rein to his horfes, moft unfortunately 

 run with the end of his axle-tree againft: the Terminus, 

 at the coming in. Now unlefs this terminus had been 

 upon his right at the coming in, this accident thus 

 defcribed could not have happened ; but being upon 

 the right, every previous accident naturally leads to it. 



8 How- 



