156 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL 



but his theories have been preserved by La 

 Brone. 



The first book upon horsemanship to appear in 

 England was a translation (1580), by Thomas 

 Blundevill, of Grison's treatise. From this we 

 learn that before the Italian's method was made 

 public the English understood * managing ' a horse 

 to be ' galloping and turning to and fro in one self 

 path' (Chap, xx., Book Second, The Art of Riding, 

 ed. 1597). The question, so often asked, even in 

 this day, whether it be possible for one to train a 

 horse by the precepts laid down in a book, has had 

 an answer ready for it any time during the past 300 

 years ; for in the preface to his translation, above 

 referred to, Thomas Blundevill says of * My dear 

 friend, Master John Ashlie, Master of the Queen's 

 Majestie's Jewell House,' ' for by the daily practising 

 of the rules of Grison his book, I saw him, without 

 the aid of any other teacher, bring two of his horses, 

 and specallie that which he calleth his Balle, unto 

 such perfection, as I believe few Gentlemen in this 

 Realme have the like.' 



After Grison's little book a great number of 

 works upon the subject of horsemanship appeared, 

 in Italy, in France, and in England ; but they were 

 all rendered useless when the Duke of Newcastle 

 published his Nouvelle Mtthode, at Antwerp, in the 



