HORSES OF GAUL. 133 



The horses of Treves and the country of the Soutiates 

 (Bigorre) were the most renowned in the time of Cassar, 

 and those also of Franche-Comte bore a high reputation. 

 ' Under the Romans,' says Clerc/ ' Sequani, the most fer- 

 tile part of Gaul, according to Casar, had large fine towns 

 noted for their commerce and wealth. In the country, 

 although covered in great part by forests, there were, 

 chiefly along the rivers' banks and public roads, villages, 

 hamlets, and cottages, the robust and industrious in- 

 habitants of which grew^ barley, reared flocks of sheep and 

 droves of pigs, and especially fine horses, the best in 



Gaul In the midst of the Roman customs and 



institutions, I do not know if, in Sequani, anything more 

 national predominated than the ever-ruling passion of the 

 people for horses, which figure on all their medals, and 

 their horsemanship, from which the town of Mandeure 

 (now a little village on the Doubs near Besanqon ; it 

 was destroyed in the tenth century by the Hungarians) 

 took its name, " Epomanduodurum," signifying the town 

 where they managed horses well, Epona being the Celtic 

 goddess of horses.' 



It is, then, very evident that when the Romans came 

 in contact with the Gauls, the horse was largely and widely 

 employed in that country for riding and draught pur- 

 poses. The ' petoritum ' (Celtic petoar, four, and rot, 

 wheel) was evidently a native vehicle, but the 'esseda' 

 was the chariot most used in warfare, immense num- 

 bers always figuring in every Celtic army ; and these 

 armies dragged after them a multitude of waggons and 



' Essai HUr I'Histoire de la Franche-Comle. 



