

CLASSES AND BREEDS OF BRITISH HORSES. 511 



provement of the Royal stud. Yet, with all the inconsis- 

 tency and stupid barbarity of his character, he determined to 

 keep up the size of the great horses of England. He en- 

 acted that all his prelates and nobles, <; whose wives wore 

 velvet bonnets," should keep stallions for the saddle at least 

 fifteen hands high. He caused an act to be passed that all 

 stallions found on commons below a certain size should be 

 confiscated, and that any mare or filly not likely to bear foals 

 of a reasonable size, or to do profitable labours, should, at 

 the discretion of the drivers of the commons, be killed and 

 buried. These monstrous edicts, could they have been car- 

 ried into effect, would have thinned the number of useful 

 horses in England, already reduced by the destructive wars 

 of the houses of York and Lancaster. So great had been 

 the decline in the number of horses in England, that Queen 

 Elizabeth could only muster about 3000 cavalry w r hen the 

 terrible Armada of Spain threatened her kingdom with de- 

 struction. Contemporary writers give us no high idea of the 

 English horses at this period. They are described as strong 

 and sturdy indeed, but as fit only for draught. The coarse 

 cart-horse form was the prevailing one, even for horses em- 

 ployed in the chase. We see then, that, up to this period, no 

 very great change had taken place in the general character 

 of the horses of England. By the foreign importations, in- 

 deed, a class of horses had been formed called Running 

 Horses. These were not exclusively devoted to the race, but 

 were merely ^distinguished for a somewhat superior power of 

 speed. During the reign of Elizabeth, the use of heavy 

 armour went gradually into disuse, notwithstanding the 

 jousts and sports of the tilting-yard, which were still eagerly 

 pursued. When James I. ascended the throne, these sports 

 were in the wane, and he afforded them little support. James 

 had no fondness for warlike exercises. He is said to have 

 observed that he loved armour, because it both prevented 

 the wearer of it from being hurt himself and from hurting 

 others. He, however, gave great encouragement to a sport 



