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On Horsemanship







by Xenophon







Translation by H。 G。 Dakyns















Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B。C。 He was a



pupil of Socrates。 He marched with the Spartans;



and was exiled from Athens。 Sparta gave him land



and property in Scillus; where he lived for many



years before having to move once more; to settle



in Corinth。 He died in 354 B。C。







On Horsemanship advises the reader on how to buy



a good horse; and how to raise it to be either a



war horse or show horse。 Xenophon ends with some



words on military equipment for a cavalryman。



















ON HORSEMANSHIP















I







Claiming to have attained some proficiency in horsemanship'1'



ourselves; as the result of long experience in the field; our wish is



to explain; for the benefit of our younger friends; what we conceive



to be the most correct method of dealing with horses。







'1' Lit。 〃Since; through the accident of having for a long time



    'ridden' ourselves; we believe we have become proficients in



    horsemanship; we wish to show to our younger friends how; as we



    conceive the matter; they will proceed most correctly in dealing



    with horses。〃 {ippeuein} in the case of Xenophon = serve as a



    {ippeus}; whether technically as an Athenian 〃knight〃 or more



    particularly in reference to his organisation of a troop of



    cavalry during 〃the retreat〃 (〃Anab。〃 III。 iii。 8…20); and; as is



    commonly believed; while serving under Agesilaus (〃Hell。〃 III。 iv。



    14) in Asia; 396; 395 B。C。







There is; it is true; a treatise on horsemanship written by Simon; the



same who dedicated the bronze horse near the Eleusinion in Athens'2'



with a representation of his exploits engraved in relief on the



pedestal。'3' But we shall not on that account expunge from our



treatise any conclusions in which we happen to agree with that author;



on the contrary we shall hand them on with still greater pleasure to



our friends; in the belief that we shall only gain in authority from



the fact that so great an expert in horsemanship held similar views to



our own; whilst with regard to matters omitted in his treatise; we



shall endeavour to supply them。







'2' L。 Dind。 'in Athens'。 The Eleusinion。 For the position of this



    sanctuary of Demeter and Kore see Leake; 〃Top。 of Athens;〃 i。 p。



    296 foll。 For Simon see Sauppe; vol。 v。 Praef。 to 〃de R。 E。〃 p。



    230; L。 Dind。 Praef。 〃Xen。 Opusc。〃 p。 xx。; Dr。 Morris H。 Morgan;



    〃The Art of Horsemanship by Xenophon;〃 p。 119 foll。 A fragment of



    the work referred to; {peri eidous kai ekloges ippon}; exists。 The



    MS。 is in the library of Emmanual Coll。 Cant。 It so happens that



    one of the hipparchs (?) appealed to by Demosthenes in Arist。



    〃Knights;〃 242;







{andres ippes; paragenesthe nun o kairos; o Simon;



o Panaiti; ouk elate pros to dexion keras};







bears the name。







'3' Lit。 〃and carved on the pedestal a representation of his own



    performances。〃







As our first topic we shall deal with the question; how a man may best



avoid being cheated in the purchase of a horse。







Take the case of a foal as yet unbroken: it is plain that our scrutiny



must begin with the body; an animal that has never yet been mounted



can but present the vaguest indications of spirit。 Confining ourselves



therefore to the body; the first point to examine; we maintain; will



be the feet。 Just as a house would be of little use; however beautiful



its upper stories; if the underlying foundations were not what they



ought to be; so there is little use to be extracted from a horse; and



in particular a war…horse;'4' if unsound in his feet; however



excellent his other points; since he could not turn a single one of



them to good account。'5'







'4' Or; 〃and that a charger; we will suppose。〃 For the simile see



    〃Mem。〃 III。 i。 7。







'5' Cf。 Hor。 〃Sat。〃 I。 ii。 86:







regibus hic mos est: ubi equos mercantur; opertos



inspiciunt; ne; si facies; ut saepe; decora



molli fulta pede est; emptorem inducat hiantem;



quod pulchrae clunes; breve quod caput; ardua cervix。







and see Virg。 〃Georg。〃 iii。 72 foll。







In testing the feet the first thing to examine will be the horny



portion of the hoof。 For soundness of foot a thick horn is far better



than a thin。 Again it is important to notice whether the hoofs are



high both before and behind; or flat to the ground; for a high hoof



keeps the 〃frog;〃'6' as it is called; well off the ground; whereas a



low hoof treads equally with the stoutest and softest part of the foot



alike; the gait resembling that of a bandy…legged man。'7' 〃You may



tell a good foot clearly by the ring;〃 says Simon happily;'8' for the



hollow hoof rings like a cymbal against the solid earth。'9'







'6' Lit。 〃the swallow。〃







'7' Al。 〃a knock…kneed person。〃 See Stonehenge; 〃The Horse〃 (ed。



    1892); pp。 3; 9。







'8' Or; 〃and he is right。〃







'9' Cf。 Virg。 〃Georg。〃 iii。 88; Hor。 〃Epod。〃 xvi。 12。







And now that we have begun with the feet; let us ascend from this



point to the rest of the body。 The bones'10' above the hoof and below



the fetlock must not be too straight; like those of a goat; through



not being properly elastic;'11' legs of this type will jar the rider;



and are more liable to become inflamed。 On the other hand; these bones



must not be too low; or else the fetlock will be abraded or lacerated



when the horse is galloped over clods and stones。







'10' i。e。 〃the pasterns ({mesokunia}) and the coffin should be



    'sloping。'〃







'11' Or; 〃being too inflexible。〃 Lit。 〃giving blow for blow; overuch



    like anvil to hammer。〃







The bones of the shanks'12' ought to be thick; being as they are the



columns on which the body rests; thick in themselves; that is; not



puffed out with veins or flesh; or else in riding over hard ground



they will inevitably be surcharged with blood; and varicose conditions



be set up;'13' the legs becoming thick and puffy; whilst the skin



recedes; and with this loosening of the skin the back sinew'14' is



very apt to start and render the horse lame。







'12' i。e。 〃the metacarpals and metatarsals。〃







'13' Or; 〃and become varicose; with the result that the shanks swell



    whilst the skin recedes from the bone。〃







'14' Or; 〃suspensory ligament〃? Possibly Xenophon's anatomy is wrong;



    and he mistook the back sinew for a bone like the fibula。 The part



    in question might intelligibly enough; if not technically; be



    termed {perone}; being of the brooch…pin order。







If the young horse in walking bends his knees flexibly; you may safely



conjecture that when he comes to be ridden he will have flexible legs;



since the quality of suppleness invariably increases with age。'15'



Supple knees are highly esteemed and with good reason; rendering as



they do the horse less liable to stumble or break down from fatigue



than those of stiffer build。







'15' Lit。 〃all horses bend their legs more flexibly as time advances。〃







Coming to the thighs below the shoulder…blades;'16' or arms; these if



thick and muscular present a stronger and handsomer appearance; just



as in the case of a human being。 Again; a comparatively broad chest is



better alike for strength and beauty; and better adapted to carry the



legs well asunder; so that they will not overlap and interfere with



one another。 Again; the neck should not be set on dropping forward



from the chest; like a boar's; but; like that of a game…cock rather;



it should shoot upwards to the crest; and be slack'17' along the



curvature; whilst the head should be bony and the jawbone small。 In



this way the neck will be well in front of the rider; and the eye will



command what lies before the horse's feet。 A horse; moreover; of this



build; however spirited; will be least capable of overmastering the



rider;'18' since it is not by arching but by stretching out his neck



and head that a horse endeavours to assert his power。'19'







'16' Lit。 〃the thighs below the shoulder…blades〃 are distinguished



    from 〃the thighs below the tail。〃 They correspond respectively to



    our 〃arms〃 (i。e。 forearms) and 〃gaskins;〃 and anatomically



    speaking = the radius (os brachii) and the tibia。







'17' 〃Slack towards the flexure〃 (Stonehenge)。







'18' Or; 〃of forcing 

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