THE RACE HORSE. 



would appear almoft incredible : ibme have been known to run a mile in 

 little more than a minute, and have frequently performed, a race of four 

 miles in lefs than feven minutes ; but this exceeding velocity is confined to a 

 few individuals. The famous Horfe, Bay Childers, has been known to run 

 eighty-two feet and a half in a fecond, which is at the rate of nearly a mile 

 in a minute ; he ran round the courfe at Newmarket, a Ipace of little lefs 

 than four miles, in fix minutes and forty feconds. 



Camerarius gives us the following whimfical definition of the requifites 

 neceffary to form a perfect Horfe : " It muft," fays he, " have three parts 

 like thofe of a woman ; the breaft mull be broad, the hips round, and the 

 mane long. It muft in three relpecls refemble a Lion ; its countenance muft 

 be fierce, its courage great, and its fury irrefiftible. It muft have three 

 qualities belonging to the Sheep ; the nofe, gentlenefs, and patience. It muft 

 have three of a Deer ;. head, leg, and fkin. It muft have three of a Wolf ; 

 throat, neck, and hearing. It muft have three of a Fox ; ear, tail, and trot. 

 It muft have three of a Serpent; memory, fight, and flexibility. And, 

 laftly, three of a Hare ; running, waking, and perfeverance." 



The Race Horfe may be completely trained, while rifing three years, and 

 lias fufticient ftrength to enter the lifts on the courfe before he is four years 

 old. 



We fhall clofe this narrative with an account of fome prizes won by 

 capital Englifh Race Horfes, as related by Bewick, which will ferve to fhew 

 the importance of this breed in England, where fuch large funis frequently 

 depend on the iflfue of their exertions : 



Bay Mai ton (by Sampfon) the property of the late Marquis of Rockingham, 

 in feven prizes won the amazing fum of 5900I. At York he ran four miles in 

 feven minutes and forty-three feconds and a half; which was in feven 

 feconds and a half lefs time than the fame diftance was ever run before over 

 that courfe. 



fix times. For the third fpace he fet off again, and with feven of the fame Horfes he completed it in three 

 hours and forty-nine minutes ; going over the whole fpace of two hundred and fifteen miles in eleven hours 

 and thirty-two minutes ; which is at the rate of above eighteen miles in an hour ; an example of fwifcnefs 

 that poflibly is not to be paralleled in ancient hiftory. 



