ON SHOEING THE IIORSE. 270 
authors (particularly in Ilomer), which in other hands mi 
have given rise to misconception and error. 
We shall not attempt any review or complete analysis of this 
production, alike creditable to the author and to the profession to 
which lie belongs ; but shall only make some extracts from it, 
and with the view of inducing our readers to possess themselves 
of a work valuable to the scholar, and interesting to the horse¬ 
man and the practitioner. 
Mr. Clark adduces very strong evidence, that the ancients were 
unacquainted with our art of shoeing; although “ they appear 
at times to have had recourse in difficulties, and in cases of 
abrasion, to artificial defence, and which was probably of the 
most simple kind.” 
“ As being one of the most ancient, and frequently brought 
forward on these occasions, we shall first advert to the ex¬ 
pression of Homer, who, in describing the car of Neptune, 
uses the epithet ‘ brazen-footed’ to the horses attached to this 
car, which has led several of the learned into the belief that these 
ancients were not unacquainted with modern shoeing, and that 
the horses were actually shod with shoes of brass.” 
u It is not, however, from the language of poetry (as Mr. C. 
very justly observes) that it would be so proper to form de¬ 
cisive conclusions upon this subject; as figurative language will 
often admit of such very different interpretations : we shall there¬ 
fore leave our direct proof of their ignorance in this respect till 
we come to the more plain prose writers of succeeding times, who 
have expressly treated of the horse himself, and where the proofs, 
we believe, will be of a nature the most indubitable.” 
“ If it were true-, and admitted for a moment, that the an¬ 
cients did not understand shoeing (of which demonstrative evi¬ 
dence will appear hereafter), then nothing would have been more 
natural to a people so circumstanced, and whose whole depend- 
ance was placed in the powers and strength of the natural hoof 
to endure labour , then to extol and hold in the highest perfection 
this very necessary property, and to give it preference and higher 
value than any other, as without it the horse was to them nearly 
useless ; and it would assuredly be the very first part to fail them 
if not so endowed : hence, we believe, will be seen the true in¬ 
tentions of the writer.” 
Mr. C. explains this further, by observing that— 
“ Brass (or a kind of brass) was the chief metal in use in 
those early times of Homer ; and, from being the strongest sub¬ 
stance they were acquainted with, it became very naturally with 
them the epithet of strength ; and is continued down to this day, 
and familiar in most languages, as with us in the phrases, 
