His History. 1 1 7 



ble information on such a subject may be gained from 

 them. The horse is only mentioned when he performs 

 a part in any event in the country that may enter into 

 BibHcal history ; he is first mentioned when Joseph gave 

 the starving inhabitants of Egypt, during the seven years 

 of famine, bread in exchange for horses and for the flocks, 

 &c. This was centuries after the Flood. When Abram 

 went down into Egypt, no mention is made of the horse : 

 he is not among the gifts presented to the patriarch ; 

 and so, equally, it might be argued that at that time the 

 horse was unknown in Egypt, although probably it was 

 because such a gift would not have been acceptable. 

 When Joseph goes up into Canaan to buiy his father, as 

 the horse takes a part in the procession, he is again 

 mentioned. A writer in Blaine's ' Rural Sports ' says, 

 ' It appears difficult to reconcile the plentitude of horses 

 in Arabia with the Scriptural account that when Saul, 

 who became king of Israel, B.C. 1095, made a successful 

 war against this very country, his plunder consisted of 

 camels, sheep, oxen, and asses only ; no mention being 

 made of horses.' And Youatt ' On the Horse' states 

 that so late as the seventh century the Arabs had few 

 horses, and those of little value ; for when Mohammed 

 attacked the Koreish near Mecca, he had but two horses 

 in his whole army. And at the close of his murderous 

 campaign, although he drove off 24,000 camels, 140,000 

 sheep, and carried away 24,000 oz. of silver, not one 

 horse appears in the list of plunder. 



But another writer in Blaine's ' Rural Sports,' Mr. 

 Burchett, of Truro, says Arabia possessed horses in great 



