100 A DESCRIPTION OF 
thee close, who will beat thee, who will render thee 
miserable! Return with me, my beauty, my jewel! and 
rejoice the hearts of my children :' as he pronounced the 
last words, he sprung upon her back, and was out of sight 
almost in a moment." 
The intelligence of the Horse is next to that of the 
elephant, and he obeys his rider with so much punctuality 
and understanding, that the Americans, \\ho had never 
seen a man on horseback, thought, at first, that the 
Spaniards were a kind of centaurs, a monstrous race, half 
men and half horses. The Horse, in a domestic state, 
seldom lives longer than twenty years ; but it is supposed 
that in a wild state he attains a much greater age. The 
Mare is as elegant in her shape as the Horse ; and her 
young is called a foal. From the teeth of the Horse his 
age is known, and his colour, which varies from black to 
white, and from the darkest brown to a light hazel tint, 
has been reckoned a good sign to judge of his strength 
and other qualities. 
The Horse feeds upon grass, either fresh or dry, and 
corn ; he is liable to many diseases, and often dies sud- 
denly. In the state of nature, he is a gregarious animal, 
and even when domesticated, his debased situation of 
slavery has not entirely destroyed his love of society and 
friendship ; for Horses have been known to pine at the 
loss of their masters, their stable fellows, and even at the 
death of a dog which had been bred near the manger. 
Virgil, in his beautiful description of this noble animal, 
seems to have imitated Job: 
" The fiery courser, when he hears from far 
The sprightly trumpets, and the shouts of war, 
Pricks up his ears, and trembling with delight, 
Shifts place, and paws, and hopes the promised fight. 
On his right shoulder his thick mane reclined, 
Ruffles at speed, and dances in the wind. 
His horny hoofs are jetty black and round, 
