iSG HISTORY OF 



den to sell them to strangers : these horses have the very same 

 qualities with those of the larger kind ; which they probably de- 

 rive from a similar treatment. There are also very tine horses 

 in Circassia and Mingrelia. There are some greatly esteemed 

 in the Ukraine, in Walachia, Poland, and Sweden ; but we have 

 no particular accounts of their excellencies or defects. 



If we consult the ancients on the nature and qualities of the 

 horses of different countries, we learn that the Grecian horses, 

 and particularly those of Thessaly, had the reputation of being 

 excellent for war ; that those of Achaia were the largest that 

 were known ; that the most beautiful came from Egypt, which 

 bred great numbers ; that the horses of Ethiopia were not in 

 esteem, from the heat of the country ; that Arabia and 

 Africa furnished very beautiful horses, and very fit for the 

 course ; that those of Italy, and particularly of Apulia, were 

 very good; that in Sicily, Cappadocia, Syria, Armenia, Media, 

 and Persia, there were excellent horses, equally esteemed for 

 their speed and vigour ; that those of Sardinia and Corsica, 

 though small, were spirited and courageous ; that those of Spain 

 resembled the Parthian horses, in being very well adapted for 

 war; that in Walachia and Transylvania, there were horses 

 with bushy tails, and manes hanging down to the ground, which, 

 nevertheless, were extremely swift and active ; that the Danish 

 horses were good leapers ; those of Scandinavia, though little, 

 were well shaped, and possessed of great agility ; that the Flan- 

 ders' breed was strong ; that the Gaulish horses were good 

 for carrying burdens ; that German breeds were so bad, so 

 diminutive, and ill-shaped, that no use could be made of them ; 

 that the Swiss and Hungarian horses were good ; and, lastly, 

 that those of India were very diminutive and feeble. 



Such are the different accounts we have of the various races 

 of horses in different parts of the world. I have hitherto omitted 

 making mention of one particular breed more excellent than any 

 that either the ancients or moderns have produced ; and that is 

 our own. It is not without great assiduity and unceasing appli- 

 cation, that the English horses are now become superior to those 

 of any other part of the world, for size, strength, swiftness, and 

 beauty. It was not without great attention, and repeated trials 

 of all the best horses in different parts of the world, that we have 

 been thus successful in improving the breed of this animal ; sc 



