28 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book T. 



met with an entry," he adds, "dated the ninth year of this 

 king's reign, which states, that the King of Navarre sent 

 him as a present two running-horses, which, I presume, were 

 very valuable, because he gave the person who brought them 

 no less than one hundred shillings for his reward." * 



The contemporary and unknown author of a French 

 Metrical History of the Deposition of Richard 11. (now pre- 

 served in the British Museum) says the king had " many a 

 good horse of foreign breed." Towards the close of his grand- 

 father's wars in France, coursers had become so scarce that 

 the Parliament of 1370 interfered to check the exorbitant 

 demands of the dealers. No serious drain from the same 

 cause could have taken place now for some years ; but it 

 appears that Richard drew the choicest of his stud from 

 abroad. 



The king was seldom at a loss for ordinary horses when 

 any particular occasion called for them ; he had only to go to 

 the abbeys. They were all ransacked for this purpose when 

 he was about to attend at a conference with the King of 

 France at Calais ; and great demands were made upon them 

 for the campaign in Ireland. " Religion," says a contemporary 

 satirist, " is a rider, a pricker of a palfrey from manor to 

 manor," and Chaucer,t who has frequently noticed the subject, 

 observes of his monk : 



" Full many a daintie horse had he in stable ; " 



and mentions the high condition of that on which he rode ; 

 " his hors in great estate," or " of price." 



The young gallant of the period likewise aspired, and 



* " Sports and Pastimes," book i., chap, iii., sec. 6. 



t Also referred to by other old writers : 



Le Roman de Roncevaux MS. : Et sui montd el bon Cheval de pris. 



Le Roman de Gay don MS. : Un Chevalier sor un D'estrier de pris. 



Le Roman fl'i? Garin MS. : En Destre meinent les Auferrans de pris. 



Infra : Girbert se sist sor le Cheval de pris. 



Le Roman de Girard de Vientie MS. : S'or me donnez ce bon Destrer 

 de pris. 



It is obvious these were thoroughbreds of the period, and known as 

 " horses of price," and doubtless were of Eastern descent — 



Le Roman d' A this MS. : Chevaulx d'Espaigne et Arabis. 



