Ill] AND HISTORIC TIMES 283 



and his derivatives, it is not surprising that Tarentura, Croton, 

 Sybaris, and later Thurii were famous for their cavalry. 



It is very significant that the best Italian horses in Roman 

 times were those bred in Apulia, where, as Varro^ tells us, herds 

 of brood mares were pastured. When speaking of noble breeds 

 of horses he only mentioned the names of two Italian kinds- — 

 the Apulian and Roseau. The Apulian thus stands first of 

 those of Italy, the Roseau horses bred in the fertile district 

 near Reate being placed second, whilst he does not even allude 

 to any breed in Northern Italy. The same practically holds true 

 at the present hour, for Calabria still breeds excellent bay horses, 

 which are of a finer build than those of Central Italy, as for 

 example the horses of the Roman Campagna-'. 



The superiority of the horses of Southern Italy continued right 

 down thi'ough the Middle Ages, the stock being reinvigorated 

 from time to time by fresh impoi'tations from North Africa, 

 especially during the period of Saracen domination, and also from 

 Spain at the time when Naples was closely connected with that 

 country. The fame of the horses of Naples was spread all over 

 Europe, and not only does Stradanus include the Neapolitanus 

 in the 'stable ' (Fig. 80), but Blundeville in 1580 exhorts horse- 

 breeders, if possible, to procure a Neapolitan stallion, and 

 elsewhere he thus praises this horse: "The Napolitan, which we 

 commonlie call a courser of Naples, is a trim Horse, being both 

 comelie and stronglie made, and of so much goodnesse, of so 

 gentle a nature, and of so high a coureage as anie Horse is, 

 of what countrie soever he be. He is easilie knowne from all 

 other Horses, by his no lesse cleane, and strong making, his 

 limmes are so well proportioned in everie point, and partlie by 

 his portlinesse in his gate, but chieflie by his long slender head, 

 the nether part Avhereof, that is to say, from the eies downward, 



^ Re Rust. II. 7 : Horum equorum, et equarum greges qui habere voluerint, 

 ut habent aliqui in Peloponneso et in Apulia, primum spectare oportet aetatem, 

 quam praecipiunt videndum ne sint minores trimae, maiores decern annorum. 



- Id. 11. 7, 6: de stirpe magni interest qua sint, quod genera sunt multa, 

 Itaque ad hoc nobiles a regionibus dicuntur, in Graecia Thessalici, a terra 

 (Apulia) Apuli, ab Rosea Roseani. 



3 This fact I owe (through my friend Mr G. P. Bidder, M.A., Trin. Coll., 

 Camb.) to Mr E. NeviUe-Rolfe, H. B. M. Consul for Southern Italy. 



