192 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



remarkable that no two coincide consistently in 

 their statements, from which we are forced to the 

 conclusion that the majority of such works have 

 been produced by writers who either were bigoted 

 or deeply prejudiced, or else who had some private 

 axe to grind. 



With regard to Mary's horses, her two chief 

 favourites would appear to have been Rosabelle 

 — the animal at one time worshipped by a propor- 

 tion of the body of minor poets ! — and Agnes, 

 called after Agnes of Dunbar, a countess in her 

 own right. This palfrey — almost all the horses 

 of the period of Mary Queen of Scots are spoken 

 of as " palfreys " — apparently came as a gift from 

 her brother, Moray, and though it does not appear 

 to have been a steed of exceptional quality she 

 was extraordinarily fond of it, We find it referred 

 to occasionally as Black Agnes. 



Then, though all the evidence obtainable tends 

 to convey the impression that Mary Queen of 

 Scots must have been a clever horsewoman, she 

 does not appear to have been very fond of 

 hunting, in consequence of which two at least of 

 her biographers go so far as to hint that her 

 alleged distaste for the chase tended in a measure 

 to increase Elizabeth's hostility towards her. 



From what early historians tell us, Mary 

 probably looked far better on a horse than 

 Elizabeth ever did — the slimness alone of Mary's 

 figure by contrast with Elizabeth's may have 



