386 
ON BREEDING* 
It was the opinion of the antieiRs, that there existed a great in¬ 
fluence between the mind and the body, and that the temperament 
of the body could give rise to individual feelings. Gervase Mark¬ 
ham, in his master-piece on farriery, contended that there were 
“ four humours in the body; blood, bile, black bile, and phlegm 
hence horses, according as one or other of these humours 
abounded, were said to be of a “sanguine, choleric, melan¬ 
cholic, or phlegmatic temperament.” This ideal philosophy, 
which is now superseded by the superior light of modern science, 
was copied from the human surgeons: it pervaded the whole of 
Greek medicine, and continued through the Arabian, during the 
reign of Abbassides, and came with other Greek and Arabian 
medicine into Europe. We are not, however, to infer that the 
doctrine itself is without foundation; the antients erred, only by 
limiting the number of the temperaments to four, and fixing their 
attention in this division solely on the quality and composition 
of the blood, instead of regarding the whole animal economy. 
For the fact appears very certain of the existence of this diversity 
of temperaments, and of a corresponding disposition of mental 
character. Thus some horses are remarkable for being spirited 
and lively; those are designated sanguine: others are slower and 
less irritable than the last; those are called phlegmatic: others 
that are termed choleric y are prone to anger; whilst the melan¬ 
cholic are of gloomy tempers, patient and not easily provoked. 
Such is an outline of the temperaments : all the modifications 
seem to us to be mere varieties of the sanguine and phlegmatic . 
Those varieties are generated by climate, soil and manner of 
living; by hereditary disposition; and by the peculiar organi¬ 
zation of the animal. 
“The predominance of any particular system of organs modi¬ 
fies the whole economy, impresses striking differences on the 
results or the organization, and has no less influence on the 
intellectual than on the physical faculties. This predominance 
establishes the temperament; it is the cause, and constitutes its 
essence* 1 .” 
Horses of large brainsf generally possess much sensibility, 
* Richerand. 
f The skull of the celebrated horse Eclipse was exceedingly large, when 
shown to Dr. Spurzhcim, and his phrenological observations requested as 
to the powers and character of that animal. “The leading* characteristics/' 
he observed, “ were a remarkably large braiu, not only in proportion to the 
size of the animal, but to horses in general; strongly indicating great and 
high courage, unusual sagacity, but deficient in meekness, or rather a 
vicious temper; and it was further remarked, that considerable difficulty 
must have been experienced in rendering such an animal subservient to his 
