JAMES I. PREFERS TALL HORSES 215 



thief. But plenty of horses, as we know, are 

 to-day able to find their way home from a long 

 way off, horses that have not necessarily been 

 stolen. 



In justice let it be said that James laughed to 

 scorn the majority of these superstitious beliefs. 

 This is strange, for in some respects he must 

 have been almost as superstitious as many of 

 his courtiers — and for that matter as the great 

 bulk of his subjects. 



Partial to tall horses, he expressed a wish that 

 his nobles should not ride cobs, deeming such 

 animals to be out of keeping with the majesty of 

 the court. 



It was probably for this reason that he strove 

 to encourage his subjects to ride tall horses. 



Then, though several historians appear to take 

 it for granted that the Turkish horse was un- 

 known in England until the arrival of the famous 

 Byerley Turk in 1689, we may rest assured that 

 Turkish horses were here in James's time, and 

 probable before his time. Blunderville is only 

 one of the early writers who say so in so many 

 words. Incidentally he mentions that fully a 

 century before the Byerley Turk was brought over 

 he himself had seen " horses come from Turkey, 

 as well into Italie as thither into England, indif- 

 ferentlie faire to the eie, tho* not verie great nor 

 stronglie made, yet very light and swift in their 

 running, and of great courage." 



