THE GREEK POETS. 21 



is no indication whatever that a metallic shoe had ever 

 been fastened to it. Had such an article been used, the 

 ancient Greeks would have left us more indisputable proof 

 than a few holes only round the inside of the hoof of one 

 of their statues. The holes were doubtless made for 

 some other purpose, and it is to be regretted that no de- 

 scription beyond this is to be found. This, however, will 

 be referred to hereafter. 



An allusion to hoofs of horses is frequently discovered 

 in the Greek poets and writers of a later date than the 

 days of Homer, but all negative the idea that they had any 

 brass, bronze, or iron protection. Aristophanes (b.c. 427), 

 for example, in his Comedy of the ' Knights,' makes the 

 chorus address Neptune as the god 'who loves the noise 

 of the hoofs of horses and their neighing.' Further refer- 

 ence to the noise made by the hoofs of horses will be 

 furnished when we speak of the Romans. 



The strongest evidence that shoeing was not prac- 

 tised among the Greeks of this period, is to be found in 

 the great attention paid to the nature and durability of 

 the hoofs by horsemen and others, and this testimony one 

 would think perfectly convincing. Of these we may 

 select Xenophon, the celebrated Athenian General, in 

 whose eloquent writings enough will be found to 

 satisfy the most incredulous in this respect. This cele- 

 brated cavalry officer appears to have carefully studied 

 that animal's character and habits, and all the precepts he 

 gives in his treatise on horsemanship are dictated with an 

 amount of wisdom and humanity which has not, perhaps, 

 been excelled since his day. The safety and comfort of that 

 animal and his rider were ever before him, and his teach- 



