The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-04
FAMOUS HORSES.
Ane Favorites of Heroes from Bucepha1us
to Marengo.

IL Is hard to say with any near ap-
preach to accuracy how long the horse
mas been domesticated animal. We can
only say, says the London Standard, that
iie mas been so from time immemorial-
that Is, from the earliest times of which
we nave any records. The Assyrian
sculptures-and they are about the most
ancient of which we know anything, TO T
some of them are estimated to date from
42oo B. C.-contain more representations
OF caparisoned horses than even men,
Hence the horse was domesticated six
Thousand years ago at least. This being
SO, it is probable, nay certain, that there
We're among them individual favorites
who were petted and caressed more than
Others, either on account of their beauty,
size or amiability. Still we do not get
any examples of fayorite horses until
long time after this.
Even the first examples, indeed, are
only legendary, for though there is no
doubt that Hector of Troy existed, it is
not improbable that Homer Invented the
names of his three favorite horses, Po-
derge, the cream -colored Galathe, and
the fiery Ethon. 1t is likely, too, that
the horses of Menelaus, Xanthor and
Balls were also fictitious. But the horse
Of Alexander the Great, Bucephalus, is
an individual as historically real as his
master. This famous horse was, says
Plutarch offered to Philip for 10 talents
(about e2,51s), but he displayed so much
viciousness that Alexander's father was
about to send him away when the young
prince offered to tame him. he agreed,
in the event Of failure, to forfeit the price
OF the horse, and began by turning his
head to the sun, as he observed that the
horse was frightened at his own shadow.
In the end he completely tanned him-so
completely indeed that Buce phalus,
though he would permit nobody except
Alexander to mount him, always knelt
down for that purpose to his master. He
died at the age'of thirty, and his master
built as his mausoleum the city of Blu
lcephala.
Cyrus again had a pet horse, called Pc
saces, which he rode at the battle of
Cupaxa, in which he was finally killed,
and 1t was mainly due to the high spirit
of this animal that the Persian King was
rushed with his master into the thick of
the battle. Readers of Macaulay will re-
member the famous black Auser, the
horse of Terminus, and the dark gray
charger of Mamilius, whose sudden ap-
pearance in the city of Tusculum without
his master brought the news of the defeat
of the allies at Lake Regillus. Connected
with that battle too, were the horses of
the great "Twin Brethren" Castor and
, Pollux-Cykaros and Harpagon, coal
black with white legs and tails. But
these again are legendary. Not SO, how
ever, the well known horse of Caligula-
Incitatus This animal had stable of
marble, his stall was of ivory, his cloth
!, ing of purple, and his halters stiff with
i gems. He had set Of golden plates, and
was presented with a palace, furniture
| and slaves complete, in order that guests
invited in his name should be properly
, entertained. His diet was the most cost
, ~ that could be imagined, the finest
grapes that Asia could provide being re
served for him. Verus, another Roman
Emperor, about a century later, treated
his horse almost as extravagantly. He
, fed him with raisins and almonds with
his own hands, and when he died erected
a statue of gold to him, while all the dig
nitaries of the empire attended the fu-
neral.
AS we come to later times, SO we get
, more examples of favorite horses. Will
liam the Conqut TOR had one, which he
rode at the battle of Hastings, about
: which almost everything seems to be
known except his name. He was of huge
phonso of Spain such a gift as q
Prince might give and Prince receive. :"
} This gallant horse, however, did not sur
vive the battle, for Gyrth, Harold g
butcher, "c1ove him with a bill, and he
died. Richard H. horse was called Ma
s1% l 1ary- h 10
, master through the Holy War, and ar
rived in England before him. In fact,
he survived the King several years. The
Second Richard too, had favorite horse,
, called Roam Barbary, which was supposed
to be the finest hhorse in Europe at that
time, and it was on Roam Barbary that
the young King was mounted when the
incident wherein Wat Tyler was stabbed
, by the Mayor of Walworth took place.
About a century later, we get the Wars
of the Roses and in the many battles of
that civil disturbance couple OF horses
played important parts. These belonged
] to the great Earl of Warwick, the king
: maker. His first was Maleck-a beauti-
> full gray, which he rode at the battle OF
: Towton 1t was this horse whose death
turned the fortunes of the battle, for
! Warwick, seeing that his men were Civ
ing ground, deliberately sprang from his
favorite horse and killed him. Then his
pared to conquer, but not to fly; they
rallied, and finally. won the battle At
Barnet he rode his favorite horse Saladln,
a Jet black animal of great size and
3 beauty. Warwick tried the same expedi--
ent at Barnet as at Towton; but as J Lord
, Lytton in "The Last of tho Barons." has
! described how Warwick, when he saw
that he was hopelessly beaten, killed his
horse 50 that he should not run away.
in spite of himself, far more graphically
S than lies in our power, we can only add
I that the expedient failed. It was a
strange coincidence that of the e four s, horses
? know the names three should belong to
,, the three Richards. But we have only
! shaksperes authority for saying that the
f horse which Richard III. rode at Bos-
wick Field was named White Surrey.
a Still, Shakspcre did not probably invent
the name, and there may have been q
$ legend extant in his time which said that
t that was the name of the horse which
Richard rode at Bosworth
About the same time as the civil war
S wac no o;pr IN ENGLAND there was g. net