ANCIENT HORSEMANSHIP. 217 



them. All we have to remark here is, that we are 

 glad such practices are abolished, not only on our 

 own account, but for the sake of horses, who must 

 have been greatly tortured before they were brought 

 to such a state of obedience as to be ridden infrceni^ 

 (without bridles,) as Virgil says of the Numidians, 

 and this in the confusion and excitement of a battle. 

 There is an elegant passage on this subject in 

 Lucan's Pharsalia^ descriptive of the several tribu- 

 tary nations which Juba took into the field in the 

 cause of Pompey, against Curio's army, which he 

 entirely defeated. 



" Autololes, Numidseque vagi, semperque paratus 

 Inculto Gsetulus equo," &c. 



Thus translated by Rowe : — 



" With him unnumber'd nations march along, 

 Th' Autolola?, with wild Numidian throng ; 

 The rough GcEtulian, with his ruder steed ; 

 The Moor, resembling India's swarthy breed ; 

 Poor Nasamons, and Garamantines join'd ; 

 With swift Marmaridans, that match the wind ; 

 The Marax, bred the trembling dart to throw. 

 Sure as the shaft that leaves the Parthian bow ; 

 With these Massilia's nimble horsemen ride, 

 They nor the bit, nor curbing rein provide. 

 But Tvith light rods the well-taught coursers guide ; 

 From lonely cots the Lybian hunters came. 

 Who, still unarm'd, invade the salvage game. 

 And with spread mantles tawny lions tame." 



The Greeks transmitted the art of horsemanship 

 to the Romans*, who soon equalled, if they did not 

 excel, their instructors ; and nearly one of the first 

 public acts of their first king was to establish the 

 equestrian order, the second order in Rome — the 

 equites, or horsemen, being placed far above the 



