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HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
probably coeval with their
subjection to the use of man, but “racing,” as understood in our day, is
of comparative recent date. As early as the reign of Henry II.,
Smithfield, in England, was a mart for horses, and those offered for
sale were, no doubt, skillfully displayed and matched against each other
to show off their qualities. In these early days speed was not a
requisite; it required only strength to carry a warrior and his coat of
mail. The invention of gunpowder, and the consequent abandonment of armor,
not only changed the art of war, but created a demand for an entirely
different horse. Swiftness now became a requisite, and attendants
upon this power came beauty of form and the necessity of superior blood.
Instead of being associated exclusively with the labors of
the
plow, or with the alarms of war,
the horse insensibly became an object of amusement as well as
utility, so that in the time of Elizabeth they were used in the pastimes
of festal gatherings. In the commencement of the succeeding reign
private matches between gentlemen, then their own jockeys, became common.
The true merits of the horse, in the natural course of things, now rapidly
developed themselves, and we find that James I. made racing a royal
amusement, and set the example of paying large prices for foreign horses
of supposed superior breed. In the reign of Charles I. races became common
at Newmarket and Hyde Park, and the precedent was established of making
the prizes run for silver cups, instead of coin. Charles II. encouraged
the sports of the turf, and under
THE HUNTER.