THE HORSE. 163 



yet, unless he or Blundeville (the aforesaid contemporary) has 

 largely exaggerated, a vast change must have taken place in our 

 horseflesh within those years. James was the first king to 

 import an Eastern sire for the express purpose. But ' the 

 Arabian horse,' called ' Markham ' after the merchant from whom 

 he was bought for 154/., did not set foot in England till 16 16, 

 the date of Gervase Markham's book. The improvement, 

 therefore, cannot have been due to the Arabian, who was, 

 moreover, a notorious failure. At any rate, Markham (the 

 man, not the horse) is very plain-spoken in his approval of the 

 English horse of his day, and as he had travelled and knew well 

 what he was writing about, his praise cannot be set down to 

 mere 'provincialism.' He says : 



I do daily find in mine experience, that the virtue, goodness, 

 boldness, swiftness, and endurance of our true-bred English horses 

 is equal with any race of horses whatsoever. Some former writers, 

 whether out of want of experience, or to flatter novelties, have con- 

 cluded that the English horse is a great strong jade, deep-ribbed, 

 sid-bellied, with strong legs and good hoofs, yet fitter for the cart 

 than either saddle or any working employment. How false this is 

 all English horsemen know. The true English horse, him I mean that 

 is bred under a good clime, on firm ground, in a pure temperature, is 

 of tall stature and large proportions ; his head, though not so fine 

 as either the Barbary's or the Turk's, yet is lean, long, and well- 

 fashioned ; his crest is high, only subject to thickness if he be stoned, 

 but if he be gelded then it is firm and strong ; his chine is straight 

 and broad ; and all his limbs large, lean, flat, and excellently jointed. 

 For their endurance I have seen them suffer and execute as much 

 and more than ever I noted of any foreign creation. I have heard 

 it reported that at the massacre of Paris (St. Bartholomew) Mont- 

 gomerie, taking an English mare in the night, first swam over the 

 river Seine, and after ran her so many leagues as I fear to nomi- 

 nate, lest misconstruction might tax me of too lavish a report. 

 Again, for swiftness, what nation has brought forth that horse which 

 hath exceeded the English — when the best Barbarys that ever were 

 in their prime, I saw them overrun by a black hobby at Salisbury ; 

 yet that hobby was more overrun by a horse called Valentine, which 

 Valentine neither in hunting or running was ever equalled, yet 

 was a plain-bred English horse both by sire and dam .? Again, for 



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