Our observation shews us, that on the
one hand, we may breed Horses of foreign extraction too delicate,
and too slight for any labour; and on the other hand, so coarse
and clumsy, as to be fitter for the cart than the race. Shall we
then wonder these cannot race, or shall we doubt that degrees of
imperfection in the mechanism, will produce degrees of
imperfection in racing! and when we find such deficient, shall we
ridiculously impute it to a degeneracy of that blood, which once
was in the highest esteem, or to the want of judgment in him who
did not properly adapt the shapes of their progenitors!
Shall we confess this, or is the fault in nature? For though most
philosophers agree, that innate principles do not exist, yet we
know for certain, that in the brute creation, whose food is plain
and simple, (unlike luxurious man) the laws of nature are,
generally speaking, invariable and determined. If it should be
asked why the sons of the Godolphin Arabian were superior to most
Horses of their time; I answer, because he had a great power and
symmetry of parts, (head excepted) and a propriety of length
greatly superior to all other Horses of the same diameter, that
have been lately seen in this kingdom; which I do not assert on my
own judgment, but on the opinion of those who, I believe,
understand Horses much better than I pretend to do: and 'tis very
probable, this Horse, if he had not been confined to particular
Mares, might have begot better racers than any he did.
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