THE ROYAL STUDS 207 



we read " Religio Regis" ; but then in the reign 

 of almost every monarch from about the beginning 

 of the Stuart period down to the time of the four 

 Georges great stress is laid by the various sove- 

 reigns upon the advisability that the sons of the 

 nobles and of the aristocracy should become pro- 

 ficient horsemen. 



The author of "The Court of King James" 

 also is emphatic in his advice to courtiers "to be 

 very forwardly inclined to bring up horses," add- 

 ing that such horses should be bred from the best 

 strains only, and that no matter how great the 

 sum expended in order to secure good strains, the 

 money could not be looked upon as wasted. 



Of the royal studs in the reign of James I., the 

 most important probably were those at Newmarket, 

 at Eltham, atTutbury, Malmesbury and Cole Park, 

 and among the manuscripts in the British Museum 

 there may be seen to-day an interesting list of the 

 "necessaries" which appertained to the royal 

 stables, all classified under separate headings — 

 geldings, cart horses, coursers, hunters, battle 

 horses, and so on. 



Remarks upon the part played by the horse in 

 history at about this time are to be found also in 

 Lodge's " Illustrations of British History," where, 

 in the third volume, we read that on 6th April 

 1605 there arrived at Greenwich Palace "a dozen 

 gallant mares, all with foal, four horses, and eleven 

 stallions, all coursers of Naples." 



