290 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



machinery in the living world. In truth, among the works of human 

 ingenuity it cannot be said that there is any locomotive so perfectly 

 adapted to its purpose, doing so much work with so small a quantity 

 of fuel, as this machine of Nature's manufacture — the Horse. And, 

 as a necessary consequence of any sort of perfection, of mechanical 

 perfection as of others, you find that the Horse is a beautiful 

 creature, one of the most beautiful of all land animals.' 



"The Horse has been the hero of every nation, and to have been 

 able to make the Horse not only his friend, but also his constant 

 companion was the aim of every knight of old, who was wont to con- 

 sider the comfort of his steed before that of his own. The Horse is, 

 as it were, a symbol of chivalry, and it is interesting to mention that in 

 the time of Edward VI it was a capital oifence to steal a HoTse, and 

 that such an offender could not, before going to execution, have 

 ' the benefits of the clergy.' We need not now consider how the 

 Horse was treated in those long-ago days, but it should be remem- 

 bered that the Horse was never subjected to any cruel sports, such 

 as were the Dog, the Bull, the Cock, etc., and this shows us how far 

 above other animals this one stood in the estimation of people who 

 were not too refined to enjoy cruel sights. As was written in the 

 Koran, Horses were created for man's use, but they were also ' to 

 be an ornament unto him,' and this idea seems to have existed all 

 through history ever since the Horse was domesticated and became 

 the faithful friend and servant of human beings. The man who was 

 a perfect horseman and rode as though his steed were part and parcel 

 of himself was looked upon as a leader of men. Indeed, it is said 

 that Cardinal Wolsey first secured the royal favour of Henry VIII 

 by his superb horsemanship. 



"Homer of old, in many stirring passages, testified to the venera- 

 tion and admiration with which the warriors regarded their horses. 

 Xanthus, the Horse of Achilles, is rendered famous by the great 

 poet, and is endowed with a wonderful prophetic power, which 

 warned Achilles of his approaching death. The name of Alexander 

 the Great at once suggests that of his Horse, Bucephalus, and one 

 recalls the story of how this royal Horse, when wearing his regal 

 trappings, would allow no one but his master to mount him. In 

 later times the great soldiers possessed heroic horses, whose names 

 have been linked with the deeds of their great masters. Marengo, a 

 wonderful, pure white Arab, whose skeleton and hoofs are preserved 

 in our own Royal United Service Museum in London, is almost 

 as famous as is the great Napoleon, and Copenhagen, who bore 



