THE HORSE. 



SECTIOX I. 



Of all quadrupeds subdued and domesticated by the 

 hand of man, the horse stands preeminent, as the 

 most intelligent and generous, and of the most vari- 

 ous and indispensable use. He is susceptible of 

 any lesson inculcating the duties required of him ; 

 he is sensible of kind and fair treatment, and will 

 make a grateful return ; he is sociable and playful. 

 The horse, the speediest of all domesticated animals, 

 perhaps of all animals, imparts that speed to us, 

 by bearing us upon his back in his full career, and 

 giving us a celerity and extent of locomotion to which 

 we could not possibly attain independent of his aid. 

 Harnessed to the carriage, we experience from him 

 similar services, in which he ministers, in the highest 

 degree, to our ease and comfort. He is our great and 

 indispensable ally in war. His share in the culture 

 of the earth, that first of all human concerns, the 

 provision of sustenance for man and beast, is of vital 

 importance ; and his services in all human transactions 

 branch into an innumerable variety. He both pro- 



