12 THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 



surely have obtained Arabian horses if in his day Ihey 

 were as highly esteemed as now ; but we are told 

 Egypt furnished him. Mahomet, at the commence- 

 ment of his career, did not possess any cavalry. In- 

 deed we are very creditably informed that when pre- 

 sents were made to the Arabian princes, even as late 

 as the fourth century, horses were considered the most 

 acceptable offering, from which circumstance we may 

 conclude, that, however superior the present breed 

 of horses in that country may be, the climate, added 

 to their own arts and industry, has brought these ani- 

 mals to that esteem in which they are at present 

 held. 



The Romans in their conquests extended the general 

 use of the horse, and appear to have applied them- 

 selves greatly to its culture ; although they did not 

 find that the horse was unknown in the northern and 

 western regions of Europe, as doubtless the animal, 

 when once domesticated by the Greeks, became in 

 great requisition in every part of the continent. 



Many have been the conjectures as to what period 

 may be fixed for the introduction of horses into Great 

 Britain ; and indeed it were a vain hope, at this dis- 

 tance of time, to endeavour to ascertain any thing that 

 could with truth be relied on, since our earliest au- 

 thentic history introduces to our notice the use of 

 war horses and chariots as already known, and at a 

 period when our islanders had but little intercourse 

 with their continental neighbours. But this subject 

 will be discussed at greater length in another chapter, 

 together with the various breeds now in general 

 esteem. 



