Seeing then, this is the case, how shall we account for the various perfection and imperfection in the breed of these foreign Horses; for we perceive it not determined to those of Turkey, Barbary, or Arabia, but from each of these countries some good, some bad Stallions are sent us? What shall we do? Shall we continue to impute11 it to the good old phrase of blood, the particular virtue of which, no man ever yet could ascertain23, in any one particular instance, since Horses were first created? or shall we say that nature has given these foreign Horses a finer texture24, a finer attitude, and more power than any other Horses we know of; and that these very Horses, and their descendants always did, and always will surpass each other in speed and bottom, according to their different degrees of power, shape, elegance25, and proportion? But there is also a certain length determined to some particular parts of this animal, absolutely necessary to velocity26, of the particularity and propriety27 of which length, all jockeys appear to be intirely** ignorant, from the latitude28 of their expression, which is that a racer must have length somewhere.
If I might now be allowed to give my opinion of this propriety of length, I should say it consisted in the depth and declivity29 of the shoulders, and in the length of the quarters and thighs30, and the insertion of the muscles thereof. The effect of the different position or attitude of the shoulders in all Horses, is very demonstrable: if we consider the motion of a shoulder, we shall find it limited to a certain degree by the ligamentous and the tendinous parts, which confine it to its proper sphere of acting31; so that if the shoulder stand upright, the Horse will not be able to put his toes far before him, but will acquire only such a particular degree of space at each step or movement; but if the shoulders have a declivity in them, he cannot only put his toes farther before him, but a greater purchase of ground will be obtained at every stroke.
The certainty of this effect in the declivity of the shoulders will be known by every man's observation; and it is also easily demonstrated by the principles of mechanics, by which we learn, that if a weight is applied32 to a pulley, in order to shut a door, and that weight be allowed to fall immediately and perpendicularly33 from the door, it will not pull it too with that velocity as it will do if an angle be acquired, and the weight pass over a wheel removed to a very little distance from the door.
Nevertheless, there is no general rule without exception, for we now and then find a Horse to be a good racer, who has not this declivity in his shoulders, but from a length in his thighs and quarters has a sufficient share of speed. Add to this, there is another advantage obtained to the Horse besides velocity by this declivity of the shoulders, for his weight is removed farther back, and placed more in the center of his body, by which an equilibrium34 is acquired, and every muscle bears a more equal share of weight and action; so that the nearer the articulation35 of the quarters approach to the superior part of the shoulders, so much the shorter will the back be, and as much more expanded as the chest is, so much stronger will the animal be, and will also have a larger space for the organs of respiration36 to exert themselves.
But I would not be understood to mean, that the shortness of the back, or capacity of the chest, will constitute a racer; far from it: but that in any given and proportioned length, from the bosom37 of the Horse to the setting on of the dock, the nearer the superior points of the shoulders approach to the quarters, so much better able will the carcase be to sustain and bring through the weight; and as much as the shoulders themselves prevail in depth, and the quarters and thighs in length, so much greater will be the velocity of the Horse, because a greater purchase of ground is hereby obtained at every stroke.
It is by this property of length, strength of carcase, and the power of the muscles, that foreign Horse excel all others, and it is by the same advantages they excel each other also, and not by any innate38 virtue, or principle of the mind, which must be understood by the word blood, if any thing at all is intended to be understood by it; and this is a truth every man would be convinced of, if he would divest39 himself of partiality to particular blood, and confide40 in his own observation of Horses and their performances.
Sedbury was an instance of this great power, in whom we find all the muscles rising very luxuriant, and with a remarkable prominence41. The famous Childers was a like instance of it. These two Horses were remarkably42 good, but we have been absurd enough to condemn9 the blood of both at various times; in one, because he had bad feet, and entailed43 that defect on the generality of his offspring; in the other, because most people who bred from that lineage, were running mad after a proper cross, when they should have been employed in thinking only of propriety of shape.
I am very far from desiring to be thought a superior judge of this animal, but I will be bold to say, that according to these principles of length and power, there never was a Horse (at least that I have seen) so well entitled to get racers as the Godolphin Arabian; for whoever has seen this Horse, must remember that his shoulders were deeper, and lay farther into his back, than any Horse's ever yet seen; behind the shoulders, there was but a very small space; before, the muscles of his loins rose excessively high, broad, and expanded, which were inserted into his quarters with greater strength and power than in any Horse I believe ever yet seen of his dimensions. If we now consider the plainness of his head and ears, the position of his fore-legs, and his stinted44 growth, occasioned by the want of food in the country where he was bred, it is not to be wondered at, that the excellence45 of this Horse's shape, which we see only in miniature, and therefore imperfectly, was not so manifest and apparent to the perception of some men as of others.
It has been said, that the sons of the Godolphin Arabian had better wind than other Horses, and that this perfection of the wind was in the blood. But when we consider any Horse thus mechanically made, whose leavers acquire more purchase, and whose powers are stronger than his adversaries46, such a Horse will be enabled by this superiority of mechanism47, to act with greater facility, and therefore it is no wonder that the organs of respiration (if not confined or straitened more than his adversaries) should be less fatigued48. Suppose now, we take ten mares of the same, or different blood, all which is held equally good, when the Mares are covered, and have been esteemed51 so long before, and put to this Godolphin Arabian, let us suppose some of the colts to be good racers, and others very inferior to them; shall we condemn the blood of these mares which produced the inferior Horses? If so, we shall never know what good blood is, or where it is to be found, or ever act with any certainty in the propagation of this species, and it is this ridiculous opinion alone of blood, that deceives mankind so much in the breed of racers. If we ask the jockey the cause of this difference in the performance of these brothers, he (willing to account some how for it) readily answers, that the blood did not nick; but will a wise and reasoning man, who seriously endeavours to account for this difference, be content with such a vague, unmeaning answer, when, by applying his attention to matters of fact, and his observation to the different mechanism of these brothers, the difference of their performance is not only rationally, but demonstratively accounted for?
But if this excellence of the racer should really be in the blood, or what is called the proper nicking of it, I must say, it is a matter of great wonder to me, that the blood of the Godolphin Arabian, who was a confined Stallion, and had but few Mares, should nick so well as to produce so many excellent racers; and that the blood of his son Cade, who has had such a number of Mares, and those, perhaps, the very best in the kingdom, should not nick any better than it seems to have done; for I do not conceive the performances of the sons of Cade to have been equal in any respect to the sons of the Godolphin Arabian; though I do not pretend to determine this myself, but shall leave it to the opinion of mankind.
The question then is, whether this excellence of Horses is in the blood or the mechanism; whoever is for blood, let him take two brothers of any sort or kind, and breed one up in plenty, the other upon a barren heath; I fancy he will find, that a different mechanism of the body will be acquired to the two brothers by the difference of their living, and that the blood of him brought up on the barren heath, will not be able to contend with the mechanism of the other, brought up in a land of plenty. Now if this difference of shape will make a difference in the performance of the animal, it will be just the same thing in its consequences, whether this imperfection of shape be produced by scarcity52 of foot, or entailed by the laws of nature; if so, does it signify whether the colt be got by Turk, Barb22, or what kind of blood his dam be of? or where shall we find one certain proof of the efficacy of blood in any Horse produced in any age or any country, independent of the laws of mechanics.
If it should be urged, that these foreign Horses get better colts than their descendants, that therefore the blood of foreign ones is best, I answer, no; for that according to the number of foreign Stallions we have had in this kingdom, there have been more reputed and really bad than good ones, which would not happen in the case of Horses, who come from the same country, and are of the same extraction, if this goodness was in the blood only. But the true reason why foreign Horses get better colts than their descendants, if they do get better, is that (mechanism alike) their descendants from which we breed, are generally such Horses as have been thoroughly53 tried, consequently much strained, and gone through strong labour and fatigue49; whereas the foreign Horse has perhaps seldom or never known what labour was; for we find the Turk a sober grave person, always riding a foot pace, except on emergencies, and the Arab preferring his Mare50 to his Horse for use and service. As a proof of this truth, let us take two sister hound bitches, and ward2 them both with the same dog; let us suppose one bitch to have run in the pack, and the other by some accident not to have worked at all, it will be found that the offspring of her who has never worked, will be much superior to the offspring of her who has run in the pack.
All I have now to ask of my brother jockeys is, that for the future, when speaking of these Horses, they will, instead of the phrase HIGH-BRED, say only well-bred, and that they will not even then be understood to mean any thing more by it, than that they are descended54 from a race of Horses, whose actions have established their goodness: and that I may have leave to prefer my opinion of the mechanical powers of a Horse, to all their opinions concerning blood, which is in reality no more than a vain chimera55. If these things are so, have not we and our fore-fathers been hoodwinked all our days by the prevalence of a ridiculous custom, and the mistaken system, when by consulting our own reason and understanding, this mist of error had fled before it? If this mechanical power was considered as it ought to be, it would excite a proper emulation56 amongst all breeders: and when the excellence in the breed of Horses was found to be the effect of judgment57, and not of chance, there would be more merit as well as more pleasure in having bred a superior Horse. Add to this, mankind by applying their attention to this mechanism of animals, would improve their judgment in the laws of nature, and it would not only produce a much better breed of racers than any we have yet seen, but the good of it would extend to all sorts of Horses throughout the kingdom of what kind soever. It is a cruel thing to say, but yet a very true one, that amongst the present breed of Horses in this nation, a man of any tolerable judgment can hardly find one in fifty fit for his purpose, whether designed to draw or ride; whereas if the purchasers would endeavour to make themselves masters of this mechanism, the breeders of every kind of Horses must consult it also, or keep their useless ones in their own hands, which I conceive would be a proper punishment for their ignorance.
And now the author appeals not to the illiterate58 and unlearned (whose obstinacy59 is too great to receive instruction, and whose prejudices are too strong to be obliterated60 by any reasons) but to the candid61 and impartial62 inquiry63 of reasoning and unprejudiced men into these principles, and hopes this may be a means of exciting some more able pen, to vindicate64 a truth so many ages buried in darkness. If aught conducive65 to the pleasure or use of mankind shall accrue66 from these hints, he will think himself happy; on the other hand, if the principles here advanced should prove erroneous, and any man be kind enough to point out the fallacy of them, he will kiss the rod with chearfulness** and submission67.
FINIS.
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1
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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2
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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3
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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4
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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5
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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6
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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7
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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8
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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9
condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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10
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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11
impute
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| v.归咎于 | |
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12
imputed
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| v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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14
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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15
culled
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| v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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17
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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18
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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19
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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21
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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22
barb
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| n.（鱼钩等的）倒钩，倒刺 | |
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23
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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24
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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25
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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26
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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27
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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28
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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29
declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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30
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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31
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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32
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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33
perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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34
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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35
articulation
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| n.（清楚的）发音；清晰度，咬合 | |
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36
respiration
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| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
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37
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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38
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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39
divest
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| v.脱去，剥除 | |
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40
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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41
prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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42
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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43
entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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44
stinted
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| v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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45
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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46
adversaries
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| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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47
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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48
fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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49
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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50
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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51
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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52
scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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53
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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54
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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55
chimera
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| n.神话怪物；梦幻 | |
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56
emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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57
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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58
illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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59
obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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60
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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61
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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62
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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63
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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64
vindicate
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| v.为…辩护或辩解，辩明；证明…正确 | |
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65
conducive
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| adj.有益的，有助的 | |
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66
accrue
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| v.(利息等)增大，增多 | |
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67
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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