Ill] AND HISTORIC TIMES 373 



Punch is sprung from the sorrel variety of the same great 

 horses. But, as we have traced both these types to the large 

 breeds gradually developed in Upper Europe from the second 

 century B.C. by the blending of North African blood with that 

 of the old European horses, our best English breeds of cart- 

 horses owe their excellence to the North African horse. 



Blundeville's remarks on the colour of horses are of great 

 importance. Of the four classes of horses in which one element 

 preponderates, the best that in which the air predominates 

 is most commonly a bay, whilst the worst is a bright sorrel. 

 But from our previous investigations we have found that bay 

 is as distinctly a mark of African blood as dun and white are of 

 that of Upper Europe and Upper Asia. Blundeville's perfect 

 horse he in which the elements were kindlier mixed was 

 usually brown bay, dapple grey, black flecked with white, 

 black like a Moor, or a fair roan, "which kinds of horses are 

 most recommendable." And next to these are such as be 

 most like in colour to them, as the bright bay, the dark bay, 

 that hath neither learing look, mealy nose, nor white flank, with 

 bright sorrel, the fly-bitten white, the white with black points, 

 and with a dorsal stripe if possible, and the aubye graye with its 

 feet striped. 



But as we have seen that bay and brown are characteristic 

 of the North African horse, whilst black, dark grey, and grey 

 are always found, whether in Asia or Europe, where the African 

 blood has been blended with that of the indigenous horses of 

 those regions, it is clear that the best horses of medieval 

 Europe, which according to Olaus Magnus and Blundeville were 

 regularly of dark colours, owed their superiority over the pure 

 white and the various shades of dun to the fact that they were 

 saturated with North African blood, whilst the latter had very 

 little of it in their veins. 



Blundeville in his second chapter enumerates " which horses 

 be well marked, and which be not. The horse that hath any 

 white mark is called of the Italians Balzano, but specially 

 when he is white-footed. And of white-feeted horses there 

 be IIII good and VIII bad. These are those which have 

 either white off forefoot, or a white near hind foot, or both 



