172 MULES. 



and owned estates in Spain, where it appears that the 

 finest mules were then bred. 



As it is not requisite to pursue our history of the 

 mule any farther among the ancients, we shall drop 

 their appellation of ??z«Ze diudi female ass, and adopt the 

 modern one of Jack and Jennet. 



Spain has continued to support the reputation for a 

 superior race of mules to the present period : and it is 

 probable, that the Arabian breed of Jacks were intro- 

 duced by the Moors, when they held possession of 

 that fine country, which, by crosses and the effects of 

 climate and soil, have formed two valuable races, 

 which we shall notice in the sequel. The Portuguese 

 race have been generally considered as differing but 

 little from the Spanish ; those, however, that have 

 come within my view appear evidently inferior. It 

 was not until near the close of the sixteenth century, 

 that coaches were used in France ; before which, it is 

 said, the nobles rode to court, parliament, &c. on 

 mules, that were brought from the vicinity of the Alps 

 and Pyrenees. They were usually black, of large 

 size, well made, and mostly bred from fine Spanish 

 mares. Savoy has long been noted for an excellent 

 breed of mules. None very extraordinary are found 

 in Italy : those used by the Velterino, are strong and 

 of a respec^table size, but of a sluggish and debased 

 spirit. Very little can be said of those animals in 

 Great Britain. The Catholic prelates brought over a 

 number of superb mules, prior to the Reformation, 

 but in the reign of Elizabeth so little was known of 

 them, that a writer of that period says, " in Devon- 

 shire some were produced by a Jack brought from 

 France, and were knocked on the head by the people, 

 who viewed them as monsters." A superior race of 

 mules were bred in Flanders from Jacks introduced by 



