The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-04
THE HORSE IN HISTORY.
He Has Been DOmesticated From the
Earliest Times.
From the London STANDARD

1t is hard TO say with any near approach
to accuracy how long the horse has been
a domesticated animal We can only say
that he has been so from time immemor-
ial-that is, from the earliest times of
which we have any records. The Assyrian
sculptures-and they are about the most
ancient of which we know anything, for
some of them are estimated to date from
1900 3. C.-contain more representations
of caparisoned horses than even men. Sun.
we do not get any examples Of tavorlte
horses until a 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 i'm
proboble that Homer invented the names
Of his three favorite horses, Poderge, the
cream colored Galathe, and the fiery Eth
on. 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 tall
ents (about f2,519, but he displayed so
much viciousness that AleXanders 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 turn
ing his head to the sun, as he observed
that the horse was frightened at his own
him-so completely indeed that Bucepha-
lus, though he would permit nobody eX-
cept Alexander to mount him, always
knelt down for that purpose to his master.
He died at age of 30, and his master built
as his mausOleum the city of Bucephala.
Readers of Macaulay win remember the
famous black Auster, the horse of Her.
minus and the dark gray charger of Ma
milus whose sudden appearance in the
city of Tusculum without his master
brought the news of the defeat of the al
lies at Lake Regillus. Connected with that
battle, too, were the horses of the great
twin brethren" Castor and Pollux, coal
black, with white legs and tail. But those
are legendary. Not so, however, the well
known horse of Caligula, Incitatus. This
animal had a stable of marble; his stall
was of ivory, his clothing of purple, and
his halters stiff with gems. He had
a set of golden plates and was presented
with a palace, furniture and slaves com
plete in order that guests invited in his
name should be properly entertained. His
diet was the most costly that could be i'm
agined, the finest grapes that Asia
could provide being reserved 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 statute of gold to
~
pire attended the funeral.
AS we come to later times so get
more examples of favoTite horses. William
the ConquerOr had one which he rode at
the battle of Hastings, about which al
most everything seems to be known eX-
cept his name He was of huge size and
was a present from King Alfonso of Spain
-"such a gift as Prince might give and
a Prince receive" This gallant horse, how
ever, did not survive the battle, for Gyrth
| Harold's butcher, "clove him with bill,
and he died" Richard Is horse was called
Maleck and was jet black. He bore his
| master through the holy war and arrived
i'm England before him; in fact, he survived
the King several years. The second Rich
ard. zoo, had a favorite horse, called Roam
| Barbary. which was supposed to be the
| finest horse in Europe at that time and
! 1t was on Roam Barbary that the youne
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, beautiful
| gray, which he rode al the battle of Tow
| ton. 1t was this horse whose death turned
the fortunes of the battle, for Warwick
seeing that his men We're giving ground,
! deliberately sprung from his favorite
| horse and killed him. Then his men knew
| that the kingmaker was prepared to con-
! quer, but not to fly. They rallied ana nm
ally won the battle.
There were two horses belonging to
/ highwaymen which were famous in theiI
| time. one of them belonged to the cele-
! brate knight of the road, Paul Clifford
! He was called Robin and was Irish In
color. iron gray, he was reputed by judges
! of horsehesh-and there were some who
were quite as competent to give an opin-
| ion if not more so, as any of the present
! day-to be absolutely without blemsh
! and to be second to none. Another famous
! horse, or rather mare, was Black Bess
! Her owner Dick Turpin, or, to give him
! his correct name, Nicks, committed rob
| berry in London. at o'clock in the morn
| ing. and fearing discovery. made fol
! Gravesend ferried across the river and
| appeared at the bowling green in York
! the same evening, having accomplished
his ride of 300 miles in sixteen hours on one
| horse. At least so says the legend, ant
/ this is certain-that on the trial he was &C
! Quilted the jury considering it impossible
!, that he could have got to York in the
! time.