PROGRESSION. 131 



however, that we may come at that through inference which we 

 cannot derive from actual observation, we will commence with an 

 examination of the slowest movement of all — the walk — and from 

 that proceed to those next quick in succession, the slow or dwell- 

 ing trot, the hand-canter or slow gallop ; and, as we proceed, consi- 

 der the changes, if any, that take place under augmentation of 

 speed in these respective paces. 



Notwithstanding Borelli's prefatory denunciation of the philoso- 

 phers and anatomists of his own day, for pinning their faith on 

 others' sleeves rather than look with their own eyes, he himself, as I 

 said before, appears in error even in his very first observation. After 

 shewing the parallelogramical figure of which the horse's legs, as 

 they stand in their natural position, form the four respective angles, 

 and that the centre of gravity falls near the centre of the parallelo- 

 gram — though, according to his plate, placed behind that centre 

 instead of before — he tells us the animal makes his first movement 

 with a hind foot, " Incipit gressus ab uno pede postico ;" and as- 

 signs as the reason for this, the necessity of establishing a new centre 

 of gravity in advance prior to the movement of progression taking 

 place. 



Solleysell knew better than this; he had looked for himself, and 

 not pinned his faith on tradition : — " In a walk," says this true 

 observer of Nature, " the horse lifts the near fore leg and far hind 

 leg together? and has them in the air at the same time ; and when 

 he sets these down he lifts the other two, which were cross upon 

 the ground ; viz. his far fore leg and near hind leg, and so alter- 

 nately each remove. This is the true motion of a horse's legs 

 upon a walk; which is the same with that of the trot, although the 

 paces are different." Sir Wm. Hope, the translator of Solleysell's 

 invaluable work, " The Compleat Horseman," appends to this pas- 

 sage a comment, in which he says, " Our author is here in a little 

 mistake about the motion of a horse's legs in the walk," and by 

 way of proving the error, refers to his " Supplement of Horseman- 

 ship" appended to the translation ; where he again agitates the 

 question, finding the same fault with the Duke of Newcastle as he 

 had before done with Solleysell, and in great confidence lays down 

 the law, that " the true motion of a horse's legs upon his walk, 

 according to my own observation, which upon tryal will be found 



