REVIEW. 
563 
drop of stained or impure blood detracting trom this noble 
line of filiation, from the stud of Solomon, son of David, 
down even to the present day. And so particular are the 
owners of such horses about their pedigree, that the precious 
document is kept suspended in a satchel around the animal’s 
neck, being in form as follows:— 
“We, the undersigned, declare before the Supreme Being, 
attest, affirm, and swear by destiny and our girdles, that the 
mare.aged.and marked.is a 
descendant of the third degree, in a direct line, from a noble 
and illustrious ancestry, her dam being of the breed of. 
and her sire of the breed of.; and she uniting 
in herself all the qualities of those noble creatures, of which 
the prophet has said— 4 Their breast is a chest of gold, and 
their thighs are a throne of honour.’ In consideration of the 
testimony of our predecessors, we repeat our averment that 
the mare in question is as pure and stainless in her blood as 
milk, and we pledge our word that she is famed for her great 
speed, and her habit of enduring fatigues, hunger, and thirst. 
From our own knowledge, as well as from what we have 
learnt, it is that we have given this testimony. Beyond this, 
God can best answer.” 
In the Koran, the creation of the horse is treated by Ma¬ 
homet with the highest lyric inspiration :— 
“When God was about to create the horse, he called to 
him the south wind, and said:— 4 I will out of thee' make a 
new being: cease to be impalpable and take on a substantial 
form !’ 
44 The wind obeys. God then seized a handful of the 
matter become solid, and breathed into it the breath of life. 
44 After this manner was the horse created, to whom the 
Lord said: — 4 Thou shalt be to man a source of pleasure and 
wealth; he shall ride upon thy back, and shall elevate thee 
above all other animals.’ ” 
From these curious morceaux , extracted out of the sketch 
given by our author of the early history of the horse, as 
relates to his own country, we shall—skipping a score 
pages or so—pass to the section treating of our country, or 
rather— 
