1 90 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



Nevertheless Don Quixote and his horse, 

 Rosinante a name that means literally " for- 

 merly a hack " came gradually to be renowned 

 the world over. 



To this day, indeed, "a perfect Rosinante" is 

 the comment not infrequently passed upon a 

 horse that is mostly skin and bone. 



Peter of Provence's wooden horse, Babieca, 

 is another " creature" whose name must not be 

 omitted. 



"This very day," we read in Don Quixote, 

 " may be seen in the King's armoury the identi- 

 cal peg with which Peter of Provence turned his 

 wooden horse which carried him through the 

 air. It is rather bigger than the pole of a coach, 

 and stands near Babieca's saddle." 



Don Quixote himself rode astride the wooden 

 horse, Clavileno, on the occasion when he wished 

 to disenchant the Infanta Antonomasia and her 

 husband shut up in the tomb of Queen Maguncia, 

 of Candaya, and Peter of Provence rode it when 

 he made off with beautiful Magalona. 



Merlin was the name of its maker, and the 

 horse was so constructed that it could be governed 

 by turning a wooden peg in its forehead. The 

 name means " wooden peg." A comprehensive 

 description of these incidents may be found in 

 the fourth and fifth chapters of the third book of 

 " Don Quixote," but the description is not of 

 sufficient interest to be quoted here. 



