could be ascertained, he writes: ‘In exchanging or selling horses, a lying story with regard to their native country is used, to introduce the greatest fraud. For men being desirous of selling them at the dearest rate, they falsely pretend that they are of the best breed; which circumstance has induced us, who, by travelling frequently into so many different and distant foreign countries, are perfectly well acquainted with all kinds of horses, and have often kept them in our own stables, to explain the characters and real merit and qualifications of every nation. For not to mention the meaner services they are employed in, it is manifest that horses are chiefly necessary for three uses—for war, for the circus, and for the saddle. The horses of the Hunni are by far the most useful for war, by reason of their endurance of fatigue, cold, and hunger. Next to them, those of Thuringia and Burgundy withstand fatigue and bad usage the best. The Phrygian or Friesland horses are reckoned invincible, both with respect to swiftness and perseverance in running. Next, those of Epirus, Sarmatia, and Dalmatia, although they are obstinate and refractory to the bridle, yet are reckoned very fit for war. The noble disposition of the Cappadocian breed for chariots is much renowned; equally, or next to these, the glory of the prize in the circus is reckoned due to the Spanish horses; nor is Sicily much behind in affording for the circus such as are not inferior to them, although Africa is accustomed to furnish the Spanish breed with the swiftest of any. Persia, in all its provinces, furnishes better horses for the saddle, and they are reckoned as a great part of their patrimonial estate; being very gentle and easy to ride upon, tractable and submissive, and of
