114 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book 11. 



The queen's racing establishment was located at 

 her favourite palace, Greenwich — where "the Barbary 

 horse stables " were " well replenished " with those 

 noble animals.* Shakespeare (whom nothing appears 

 to have escaped) refers to this breed of horses as 

 follows : 



Look, when a painter would surpass the life, 



In limning out a well-proportion'd steed. 

 His art with nature's workmanship at strife, 



As if the dead the living should exceed ; 

 So did this horse excel a common one, 

 In shape, in courage, colour, pace, and bone. 



Round-hoofd, short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long, 

 Broad breast, full eye, small head, and nostril wide. 



High crest, short ears, straight legs, and passing strong. 

 Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttock, tender hide : 



Look what a horse should have, he did not lack, 



Save a proud rider on so proud a back. 



Sometime he scuds far off, and there he stares ; 



Anon he starts at stirring of a feather : 

 To bid the wind a base he now prepares. 



And whe'r he run, or fly, they know not whether ; 

 For through his mane and tail the high wind sings, 

 Fanning the hairs, who wave like feather'd wings. 



Besides the Barbary horse stable, Elizabeth had 

 stables at Waltham, St. Albans, Oaklands, Eaton, 

 Hampton Court, Richmond, Windsor, and Charing 

 Cross. 



At Greenwich the queen usually kept forty coursers, 

 or race-horses, two jockeys — namely, Andrew Alley and 

 Romano Marchafdinge, a " surveyor of the race," who 

 had £21 a year — two keepers of the coursers, who had 

 each ^d. a day ; seven hackneys were annually allowed 

 and kept to attend upon "the coursers at the races." 



* Wardrobe Ace. T.C., Bag F, Series i., Bundle ii., 428, m. i. MS., 

 P.R.O. L.T.R. Works and Buildings, Ibid. 



