EQUESTRIAN HABITS. 121 



trian people, and for a long period had but few cavalry ; 

 indeed, not until Numidia and Gaul had become Roman 

 provinces had they a respectable cavalry force. The 

 Gauls were fond of the horse, and were good horsemen ; 

 their cavalry was much superior to their infantry, being 

 composed of nobles, followed by their own people.' The 

 cavalry was styled ' Trimarkisiae' (tri-march-kesec, Celtic 

 for three horses combined), in consequence of each soldier 

 having the attendance of three horses. Pausanias, men- 

 tioning that every Celtic horseman was followed to battle 

 by two attendants, says that this custom was in their lan- 

 guage called ' Trimarkisian,' because the name of a horse 

 among them is markcui.^ Mark or march, is also a horse, 

 tri is three, and trhnarkwys is literally three horsemen in 

 the ancient British and present Welsh. 



The same writer, speaking of those who had reached 

 Delphi, says that ' each of the horsemen had with him two 

 esquires, who were also mounted on horses ; when the 

 cavalry was engaged in combat, these esquires were posted 

 behind the main body of the army, either to replace the 

 horsemen who were killed, or to give their horse to their 

 companion if he lost his own, or to take his place in case 

 he were wounded, while the other esquire carried him out 

 of the battle.' 



These equestrian habits of the Celtic Gauls are con- 

 firmed by a large number of proofs, historic and archaeo- 

 logic. Not only does the Celtic name for the horse, 

 ' march,' form the root of a long list of districts, towns, 

 nations, and individuals, but also all the terms employed 

 in cavalry or the manege, and even those hippiatric 



' Strabo, iv. p. 163. ^ Phocid. x. 545. 



