4^6 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



entitled to be considered the foundation, or real com- 

 mencement of veterinary science in Britain. As pre- 

 viously explained, this science, like many others, owed its 

 resuscitation to Italy. After the fall of the Byzantine 

 empire, learning once more sought refuge in that favoured 

 land ; and the writings of the Greek and Roman hippia- 

 trists, transferred to this genial soil from their Eastern 

 nursery and repository, were not long in bringing forth 

 good fruit, as evidenced in the writings of Rusius, Ruini, 

 Fiaschi, and many others. The veterinary science of 

 France, England, and other countries, took its origin 

 from this source. And Blundevil acknowledges this in 

 the frequent quotations he gives from the Italian writers, 

 and the references he makes to their opinions. Indeed, 

 the technical expressions he employs are nearly all Italian, 

 only some few of them being French. The English lan- 

 guage could not furnish them ; and more particularly is 

 this observed in the section or treatise devoted to ' paring 

 and shooying all maner of houes.' 



He mentions the various breeds of horses he was 

 acquainted with, and their good and bad qualities, par- 

 ticularly with a view to their being profitably reared in 

 England ; these were the horses of ' Turkey and Barbary ; 

 Sardinia and Corsica, courser of Naples, jennet of Spayne, 

 Hungarian, highe Almayne ; Flanders horse ; Frizeland 

 horse, and Iryshe hobbye,' In that portion of his work 

 which is more intimately connected with the subject now 

 under consideration, he writes: 'The art of shoeing con- 

 sisteth in these points, that is to say, in paring the hoof 

 well, in making the shoe of good stuff, in well fashioning 

 the webb thereof, a well piercing the same, in fitting the 



