THE PA IX DE DIEa 165 



of the horse, the office of marechal, or farrier, also assumed 

 a higher rank ; but of this notice will be taken hereafter. 



In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the horse-shoe 

 formed a part of every horse's armour, and, in fact, con- 

 stituted his state of belligerency. This is manifest in a 

 curious passage occurring in the oath administered to the 

 nobles of Franche Comte by Archbishop Burhard, in the 

 treve or Paix de Dieu (a.d. 1027), where it is said: 'I 

 shall neither assail the clerk nor the unarmed monk, nor 

 those who accompany them without arms ; I will not 

 seize upon any ox, cow, goat, ass, nor their burdens ; I 

 will also respect birds, cocks and hens, that is, if I do not 

 require them, when I will buy them for two deniers ; 

 neither will I carry away the " unshod mare " {jument non 

 ferree), nor the untrained colt.'' 



Megnin thinks the designation ' auferrand,' sometimes 

 given to war-horses, probably arose from this state of the 

 hoofs. It may be remarked, however, that so far as I 

 have been able to trace it, this name has been always 

 applied to grey, or, as we term them, ' iron-coloured 

 horses.' The ferrant^ auferrant, and blancferrant, were 

 only different shades of this hue ; which was probably 

 due to the early admixture of African and Barbary blood 

 with the indigenous or Gothic race of horses — a breed 

 soon renowned throughout Navarre to the Garonne ; and 

 in consequence of the preponderance of greys in it, it 

 received the above names. 



The ' ferrant ' at a later date is as frequently met with 

 in history as the 'auferrant;' and in one instance we have 



' Castan. Origines de la Commune de Be.san9oii, p. 42. Frag- 

 mentum Concilii Verdunensis, apud Cliifflct. 



