148 XENOPHON ON HORSEMANSHIP. 



the branches ; the reins were fastened to the large 

 hooks which play about the axes of the mouth- 

 piece. The branches are very large ; I know of 

 only one parallel for them in art, on a vase pub- 

 lished in the '^ Journal of Hellenic Studies," 1890, 

 plate 2, fig. 6, and possibly on the coin in the cut 

 on p. 26. 



Now, it is clear that neither of these bits corre- 

 sponds exactly to Xenophon's description. But 

 from them I have, I believe, got a clearer idea of 

 what he meant than is to be had from any of the 

 commentators on his book. The horse, we gather 

 from Xenophon, was to be trained on the rough 

 bit ; hence the discs were low and heavy, probably 

 like the rollers used on some modern curb-bits. 

 The sharp echini acted on the " bars " of the 

 horse if he attempted to seize the bit. When he 

 had been taught his lesson, the smooth bit was 

 substituted. Here the echini wxre rounded, 

 so that they merely suggested punishment without 

 really inflicting it. But to prevent him from 

 getting so used to the smooth bit as not to mind 

 it, large discs were put on, " to make him keep his 

 jaws apart and drop the bit." These discs were 

 between the bars and the tongue, on each side ; 

 and, these once understood, we see why the horse 

 is represented with his mouth open in nearly all 

 Greek works of art. 



Xenophon does not recognize a bit consisting of 



