ME voicy deuenu grammairien, moy qui n’apprins iamais langue, que par routine; et qui ne sçay encore que c’est d’adiectif, coniunctif, et d’ablatif.
Here I am turned grammarian—I who never learned any language except by rote, and who still do not know what an adjective, a subjunctive or an ablative is.
Il me semble auoir ouy dire que les Romains auoient des cheuaux qu’ils appelloient funales ou dextrarios, qui se menoient à dextre ou à relais, pour les prendre tous fraiz au besoin: et de là vient que nous appellons destriers les cheuaux de seruice. Et noz romans disent ordinairement, adestrer, pour accompagner. Ils appelloyent aussi desultorios equos, des cheuaux qui estoient dressez de façon que courans de toute leur roideur, accouplez coste à coste l’vn de l’autre, sans bride, sans selle, les Gentils-hommes Romains, voire tous armez, au milieu de la course se iettoient et reiettoient de l’vn à l’autre.
I seem to have heard it said that the Romans had horses they called funales or dextrarios, which were led on the right hand or kept in relay, to be taken fresh when needed; and that is why we call warhorses destriers. And our romances commonly say adestrer for “to accompany.” They also called desultorios equos horses trained in such a way that, while they galloped at full speed, coupled side by side, without bridle or saddle, Roman gentlemen, even in full armor, would leap back and forth from one to the other in the middle of the race.
Les Numides gendarmes menoient en main vn second cheual, pour changer au plus chaud de la meslée: quibus, desultorum in modum, binos trahentibus equos, inter acerrimam sæpe pugnam, in recentem equum, ex fesso, armatis transsultare mos erat. Tanta velocitas ipsis, támque docile equorum genus!
The Numidian men-at-arms led a second horse by hand, to change mounts in the thick of the fray: they were accustomed, like trick riders, to lead two horses, and often in the hottest of the fight to leap fully armed from the tired horse onto the fresh one; so great was their agility, and so docile their breed of horses!
Il se trouue plusieurs cheuaux dressez à secourir leur maistre, courir sus à qui leur presente vne espée nue; se ietter des pieds et des dents sur ceux qui les attaquent et affrontent: mais il leur aduient plus souuent de nuire aux amis, qu’aux ennemis. Ioint que vous ne les desprenez pas à vostre poste quand ils se sont vne fois harpez; et demeurez à la misericorde de leur combat. Il mesprint lourdement à Artibius general de l’armée de Perse combattant contre Onesilus Roy de Salamine, de personne à personne; d’estre monté sur vn cheual façonné en cette escole: car il fut cause de sa mort, le coustillier d’Onesilus l’ayant accueilly d’vne faulx, entre les deux espaules, comme il s’estoit cabré sur son maistre.
There are many horses trained to help their master, to rush at anyone who shows them a naked sword, and to fling themselves with hooves and teeth on those who attack and confront them; but it more often happens that they harm friends than enemies. Besides, you cannot pull them off at will once they have locked on, and you are left at the mercy of their fight. It went badly wrong for Artybius, general of the Persian army, fighting man to man against Onesilus, king of Salamis, that he was mounted on a horse schooled this way: for it caused his death, Onesilus’ squire catching him with a scythe between the shoulders as the horse reared up against his master.
Et ce que les Italiens disent, qu’en la battaille de Fornuoue, le cheual du Roy Charles se deschargea à ruades et pennades des ennemis qui le pressoyent, qu’il estoit perdu sans cela: ce fut vn grand coup de hazard, s’il est vray. Les Mammelus se vantent, d’auoir les plus adroits cheuaux, de gensdarmes du monde. Que par nature, et par coustume, ils sont faits à cognoistre et distinguer l’ennemy, sur qui il faut qu’ils se ruent de dents et de pieds, selon la voix ou signe qu’on leur fait. Et pareillement, à releuer de la bouche les lances et dards emmy la place, et les offrir au maistre, selon qu’il le commande.
As for what the Italians say, that at the battle of Fornovo King Charles’s horse rid him by kicking and bucking of the enemies pressing him, and that he would have been lost without it—that was a great stroke of luck, if it is true. The Mamelukes boast that they have the most skillful cavalry horses in the world: that by nature and by training they are made to recognize and distinguish the enemy, on whom they must fling themselves with teeth and hooves at the word or sign given them; and likewise to pick up lances and darts from the field with their mouths and offer them to their master at his command.
On dit de Cæsar, et aussi du grand Pompeius, que parmy leurs autres excellentes qualitez, ils estoient fort bons hommes de cheual: et de Cæsar, qu’en sa ieunesse monté à dos sur vn cheual, et sans bride, il luy faisoit prendre carriere les mains tournées derriere le dos. Comme nature a voulu faire de ce personnage et d’Alexandre deux miracles en l’art militaire, vous diriez qu’elle s’est aussi efforcée à les armer extraordinairement: car chacun sçait, du cheual d’Alexandre Bucefal, qu’il auoit la teste retirant à celle d’vn toreau, qu’il ne se souffroit monter à personne qu’à son maistre, ne peut estre dressé que par luy mesme, fut honoré apres sa mort, et vne ville bastie en son nom.
It is said of Caesar, and also of Pompey the Great, that among their other excellent qualities they were very good horsemen; and of Caesar, that in his youth, riding bareback on a horse without a bridle, he would put it to a gallop with his hands clasped behind his back. As nature chose to make this man and Alexander two miracles in the art of war, you would say she also took pains to arm them extraordinarily. For everyone knows that Alexander’s horse Bucephalus had a head like a bull’s, that he would let no one but his master mount him, could be trained by no one but him, was honored after his death, and had a city built in his name.
Cæsar en auoit aussi vn autre qui auoit les pieds de deuant comme vn homme, ayant l’ongle coupée en forme de doigts, lequel ne peut estre monté ny dressé que par Cæsar, qui dedia son image apres sa mort à la deesse Venus.
Caesar too had another, whose forefeet were like a man’s, the hoof being split in the form of toes; he could be mounted and trained by no one but Caesar, who after its death dedicated its statue to the goddess Venus.
Ie ne demonte pas volontiers quand ie suis à cheual: car c’est l’assiette, en laquelle ie me trouue le mieux et sain et malade. Platon la recommande pour la santé: aussi dit Pline qu’elle est salutaire à l’estomach et aux iointures. Poursuiuons donc, puis que nous y sommes.
I do not willingly dismount once I am on horseback, for that is the position in which I feel best, both well and ill. Plato recommends it for health; and Pliny too says it is good for the stomach and the joints. Let us keep going, then, since we are at it.
On lit en Xenophon la loy deffendant de voyager à pied, à homme qui eust cheual. Trogus et Iustinus disent que les Parthes auoient accoustumé de faire à cheual, non seulement la guerre, mais aussi tous leurs affaires publiques et priuez, marchander, parlementer, s’entretenir, et se promener: et que la plus notable difference des libres, et des serfs parmy eux, c’est que les vns vont à cheual, les autres à pied: institution née du Roy Cyrus.
We read in Xenophon of the law forbidding a man who had a horse to travel on foot. Trogus and Justin say that the Parthians were accustomed to do on horseback not only their fighting but all their public and private business—trading, negotiating, conversing and strolling about—and that the most notable difference between free men and slaves among them is that the one go on horseback, the others on foot: an institution that began with King Cyrus.
Il y a plusieurs exemples en l’histoire Romaine, et Suetone le remarque plus particulierement de Cæsar, des Capitaines qui commandoient à leurs gens de cheual de mettre pied à terre, quand ils se trouuoient pressez de l’occasion, pour oster aux soldats toute esperance de fuite, et pour l’aduantage qu’ils esperoient en cette sorte de combat: quo, haud dubiè, superat Romanus, dit Tite Liue. Si est-il, que la premiere prouision, dequoy ils se seruoient à brider la rebellion des peuples de nouuelle conqueste, c’estoit leur oster armes et cheuaux. Pourtant voyons nous si souuent en Cæsar: arma proferri, iumenta produci, obsides dari iubet. Le grand Seigneur ne permet auiourd’huy ny à Chrestien, ny à Iuif, d’auoir cheual à soy, sous son empire.
There are many examples in Roman history—and Suetonius notes it particularly of Caesar—of commanders who ordered their horsemen to dismount when hard pressed, to take away from the soldiers all hope of flight, and for the advantage they hoped for in this kind of fighting, in which the Roman undoubtedly excels, says Livy. Yet the first measure they used to curb the rebellion of newly conquered peoples was to take away their arms and horses. That is why we so often see in Caesar: he orders the arms to be handed over, the beasts brought out, hostages given. The Sultan today allows neither Christian nor Jew to have a horse of his own within his empire.
Noz ancestres, et notamment du temps de la guerre des Anglois, és combats solennels et iournées assignées, se mettoient la plus part du temps tous à pied, pour ne se fier à autre chose qu’à leur force propre, et vigueur de leur courage, et de leurs membres, de chose si chere que l’honneur et la vie. Vous engagez, quoy qu’en die Chrysanthes en Xenophon, vostre valeur et vostre fortune, à celle de vostre cheual, ses playes et sa mort tirent la vostre en consequence, son effray ou sa fougue vous rendent ou temeraire ou lasche: s’il a faute de bouche ou d’esperon, c’est à vostre honneur à en respondre.
Our ancestors, especially at the time of the wars with the English, in solemn combats and pitched battles, mostly all fought on foot, so as to trust nothing but their own strength and the vigor of their courage and their limbs with something as precious as honor and life. Whatever Chrysantas says in Xenophon, you pledge your valor and your fortune to your horse’s. His wounds and his death bring yours in their train; his fright or his fire make you rash or cowardly; if he does not answer to the bit or the spur, it is your honor that must answer for it.
A cette cause ie ne trouue pas estrange, que ces combats là fussent plus fermes, et plus furieux que ceux qui se font à cheual, cædebant paritér, paritérque ruebant / Victores victique, neque his fuga nota, neque illis. Leurs battailles se voyent bien mieux contestées: ce ne sont à cette heure que routes: primus clamor atque impetus rem decernit.
For this reason I do not find it strange that those battles were steadier and more furious than those fought on horseback: Victors and vanquished alike slew, alike fell, / And neither side knew flight. Their battles were far more stoutly contested; nowadays there is nothing but routs: the first shout and the first charge decide the matter.
Et chose que nous appellons à la societé d’vn si grand hazard, doit estre en nostre puissance le plus qu’il se peut. Comme ie conseilleroy de choisir les armes les plus courtes, et celles dequoy nous nous pouuons le mieux respondre. Il est bien plus apparent de s’asseurer d’vne espée que nous tenons au poing, que du boulet qui eschappe de nostre pistole, en laquelle il y a plusieurs pieces, la poudre, la pierre, le rouët, desquelles la moindre qui vienne à faillir, vous fera faillir vostre fortune. On assene peu seurement le coup, que l’air vous conduict, Et, quò ferre velint, permittere vulnera ventis: / Ensis habet vires, et gens quæcunque virorum est, / Bella gerit gladiis.
And a thing we call on to share so great a risk ought to be in our own power as far as possible. In the same way I would advise choosing the shortest weapons, those we can best answer for. It is far more reasonable to rely on a sword we hold in our fist than on the ball that escapes from our pistol, which has several parts—the powder, the flint, the wheel—the least of which, if it fails, will make your fortune fail you. A blow carried by the air is dealt very unsurely: And to let the winds take the wounds where they will; / The sword has strength, and every race of men / Wages war with swords.
Mais quant à cett’arme-là, i’en parleray plus amplement, où ie feray comparaison des armes anciennes aux nostres: et sauf l’estonnement des oreilles, à quoy desormais chacun est appriuoisé, ie croy que c’est vn’ arme de fort peu d’effect, et espere que nous en quitterons vn iour l’vsage. Celle dequoy les Italiens se seruoient de iet, et à feu, estoit plus effroyable.
But as for that weapon, I shall speak of it more fully where I compare ancient weapons with ours. Apart from the shock to the ears, to which everyone is by now accustomed, I think it is a weapon of very little effect, and I hope we shall one day give up using it. The weapon the Italians used for throwing, with fire, was more terrifying.
Ils nommoient Phalarica, vne certaine espece de iaueline, armée par le bout, d’vn fer de trois pieds, affin qu’il peust percer d’outre en outre vn homme armé: et se lançoit tantost de la main, en la campagne, tantost à tout des engins pour deffendre les lieux assiegez: la hante reuestue d’estouppe empoixée et huilée, s’enflammoit de sa course: et s’attachant au corps, ou au bouclier, ostoit tout vsage d’armes et de membres. Toutesfois il me semble que pour venir au ioindre, elle portast aussi empeschement à l’assaillant, et que le champ ionché de ces tronçons bruslants, produisist en la meslée vne commune incommodité. Magnum stridens contorta Phalarica venit, / Fulminis acta modo.
They called Phalarica a certain kind of javelin, tipped with an iron head three feet long so that it could pierce an armed man right through. It was thrown sometimes by hand in the field, sometimes by engines in defense of besieged places. The shaft, wrapped in tow smeared with pitch and oil, caught fire in its flight, and sticking in the body or the shield it took away all use of weapons and limbs. Yet it seems to me that when it came to close quarters it must also have hindered the attacker, and that a field strewn with these burning stumps must have been a nuisance to both sides in the melee. Whirled, the phalarica comes with a great hiss, / Driven like a thunderbolt.
Ils auoyent d’autres moyens, à quoy l’vsage les dressoit, et qui nous semblent incroyables par inexperience: par où ils suppleoyent au deffaut de nostre poudre et de noz boulets. Ils dardoyent leurs piles, de telle roideur, que souuent ils en enfiloyent deux boucliers et deux hommes armés, et les cousoyent. Les coups de leurs fondes n’estoient pas moins certains et loingtains: saxis globosis funda, mare apertum incessentes: coronas modici circuli, magno ex interuallo loci, assueti traijcere: non capita modó hostium vulnerabant, sed quem locum destinassent. Leurs pieces de batterie representoient, comme l’effect, aussi le tintamarre des nostres: ad ictus mænium cum terribili sonitu editos, pauor et trepidatio cæpit.
They had other means, in which practice trained them, and which seem incredible to us for lack of experience; with these they made up for not having our powder and bullets. They hurled their javelins with such force that they often skewered two shields and two armed men with them and stitched them together. The shots of their slings were no less sure or far-reaching: practicing with round stones and slings over the open sea, and used to sending them through small rings from a great distance, they wounded not only the heads of their enemies but whatever spot they had aimed at. Their battering engines imitated not only the effect but also the din of ours: at the blows on the walls, delivered with a terrible noise, fear and panic seized them.
Les Gaulois noz cousins en Asie, haïssoyent ces armes traistresses, et volantes: duits à combattre main à main auec plus de courage. Non tam patentibus plagis mouentur, vbi latior quàm altior plaga est, etiam gloriosius se pugnare putant: ijdem quum aculeus sagittæ aut glandis abditæ introrsus tenui vulnere in speciem vrit: tum, in rabiem et pudorem tam paruæ perimentis pestis versi, prosternunt corpora humi. Peinture bien voisine d’vne arquebusade. Les dix mille Grecs, en leur longue et fameuse retraitte, rencontrerent vne nation, qui les endommagea merueilleusement à coups de grands arcs et forts, et des sagettes si longues, qu’à les reprendre à la main on les pouuoit reietter à la mode d’vn dard, et perçoient de part en part vn bouclier et vn homme armé.
The Gauls, our cousins in Asia, hated these treacherous flying weapons, being used to fighting hand to hand with more courage. They are not so troubled by gaping wounds; when a wound is broader than it is deep, they even think they are fighting more gloriously. But when the point of an arrow or a sling bullet, buried inside, burns them with a wound slight to look at, then, driven to rage and shame that so small a plague should kill them, they throw themselves on the ground. A picture very close to a harquebus wound. The Ten Thousand Greeks, in their long and famous retreat, came upon a nation that did them extraordinary damage with great strong bows and arrows so long that, picking them up by hand, one could throw them back like javelins; and they pierced right through a shield and an armed man.
Les engeins que Dionysius inuenta à Syracuse, à tirer des gros traits massifs, et des pierres d’horrible grandeur, d’vne si longue volée et impetuosité, representoient de bien pres nos inuentions.
The engines that Dionysius invented at Syracuse, for shooting great heavy bolts and stones of horrible size with such long range and force, came very close to our inventions.
Encore ne faut-il pas oublier la plaisante assiette qu’auoit sur sa mule vn maistre Pierre Pol Docteur en Theologie, que Monstrelet recite auoir accoustumé se promener par la ville de Paris, assis de costé comme les femmes. Il dit aussi ailleurs, que les Gascons auoient des cheuaux terribles, accoustumez de virer en courant, dequoy les François, Picards, Flamands, et Brabançons, faisoyent grand miracle, pour n’auoir accoustumé de les voir: ce sont ses mots.
Nor must we forget the amusing seat that a certain Master Pierre Pol, doctor of theology, had on his mule: Monstrelet relates that he used to ride about the city of Paris sitting sideways like women. He also says elsewhere that the Gascons had terrible horses, trained to wheel at the gallop, at which the French, Picards, Flemish and Brabanters marveled greatly, not being used to seeing them: those are his words.
Cæsar parlant de ceux de Suede: Aux rencontres qui se font à cheual, dit-il, ils se iettent souuent à terre pour combattre à pied, ayant accoustumé leurs cheuaux de ne bouger ce pendant de la place, ausquels ils recourent promptement, s’il en est besoin, et selon leur coustume, il n’est rien si vilain et si lasche que d’vser de selles et bardelles, et mesprisent ceux qui en vsent: de maniere que fort peu en nombre, ils ne craignent pas d’en assaillir plusieurs. Ce que i’ay admiré autresfois, de voir vn cheual dressé à se manier à toutes mains, auec vne baguette, la bride auallée sur ses oreilles, estoit ordinaire aux Massiliens, qui se seruoient de leurs cheuaux sans selle et sans bride.
Caesar, speaking of the Swedes: In cavalry encounters, he says, they often leap to the ground to fight on foot, having trained their horses not to stir from the spot meanwhile, and they run back to them quickly if need be; and according to their custom nothing is so base and cowardly as to use saddles and pads, and they despise those who use them, so that, though very few in number, they are not afraid to attack large numbers. What I once admired—seeing a horse trained to turn every way with a switch, the bridle dropped loose over its ears—was common among the Massilians, who used their horses without saddle or bridle.
Et gens, quæ nudo residens Massilia dorso, / Ora leui flectit, frænorum nescia, virga. / Et Numidæ infræni cingunt. Equi sine frænis, deformis ipse cursus, rigida ceruice et extento capite currentium.
And the Massylian people, riding on the bare back, / Who know nothing of reins and turn their mounts’ mouths with a light switch. / And the unbridled Numidians surround them. Horses without bridles: their very gallop is ungainly, as they run with stiff neck and head thrust forward.
Le Roy Alphonce, celuy qui dressa en Espaigne l’ordre des Cheualiers de la Bande, ou de l’Escharpe, leur donna entre autres regles, de ne monter ny mule ny mulet, sur peine d’vn marc d’argent d’amende: comme ie viens d’apprendre dans les lettres de Gueuara, desquelles ceux qui les ont appellées Dorées, faisoient iugement bien autre que celuy que i’en fay. Le Courtisan dit, qu’auant son temps c’estoit reproche à vn Gentilhomme d’en cheuaucher. Les Abyssins au rebours: à mesure qu’ils sont les plus aduancez pres le Pretteian leur Prince, affectent pour la dignité et pompe, de monter des grandes mules.
King Alfonso, the one who founded in Spain the order of the Knights of the Band, or of the Sash, gave them among other rules that they should not ride a mule of either sex, on pain of a fine of one mark of silver: as I have just learned from the letters of Guevara, of which those who called them Golden held a very different opinion from mine. The Courtier says that before his time it was a reproach to a gentleman to ride one. The Abyssinians, on the contrary: the closer they stand to Prester John, their prince, the more they make a point, for dignity and pomp, of riding great mules.
Xenophon recite que les Assyriens tenoient tousiours leurs cheuaux entrauez au logis, tant ils estoient fascheux et farouches: et qu’il falloit tant de temps à les destacher et harnacher, que, pour que cette longueur ne leur apportast dommage s’ils venoient à estre en desordre surprins par les ennemis, ils ne logeoient iamais en camp, qui ne fust fossoyé et remparé. Son Cyrus, si grand maistre au faict de cheualerie, mettoit les cheuaux de son escot: et ne leur faisoit bailler à manger, qu’ils ne l’eussent gaigné par la sueur de quelque exercice.
Xenophon relates that the Assyrians always kept their horses hobbled in their quarters, so vicious and wild were they; and that it took so long to untie and harness them that, so that this delay should not harm them if they were surprised by the enemy while in disorder, they never encamped in a camp that was not ditched and ramparted. His Cyrus, so great a master of horsemanship, kept his horses to the same rule as himself, and had them given nothing to eat until they had earned it by the sweat of some exercise.
Les Scythes, où la necessité les pressoit en la guerre, tiroient du sang de leurs cheuaux, et s’en abbreuuoient et nourrissoient, Venit et epoto Sarmata pastus equo. Ceux de Crotte assiegez par Metellus, se trouuerent en telle disette de tout autre breuuage, qu’ils eurent à se seruir de l’vrine de leurs cheuaux. Pour verifier, combien les armées Turquesques se conduisent et maintiennent à meilleure raison, que les nostres: ils disent, qu’outre ce que les soldats ne boiuent que de l’eau, et ne mangent que riz et de la chair salée mise en poudre, dequoy chacun porte aisément sur soy prouision pour vn moys, ils sçauent aussi viure du sang de leurs cheuaux, comme les Tartares et Moscouites, et le salent.
The Scythians, when necessity pressed them in war, drew blood from their horses and drank it and fed on it: The Sarmatian comes too, fed on the horse whose blood he has drunk. The people of Crete, besieged by Metellus, were so short of any other drink that they had to make use of their horses’ urine. To prove how much better Turkish armies are run and maintained than ours, people say that besides the fact that the soldiers drink only water and eat only rice and salt meat ground to powder, of which each man easily carries a month’s supply on him, they also know how to live on the blood of their horses, like the Tartars and Muscovites, and they salt it.
Ces nouueaux peuples des Indes, quand les Espagnols y arriuerent, estimerent tant des hommes que des cheuaux, que ce fussent, ou Dieux ou animaux, en noblesse au dessus de leur nature. Aucuns apres auoir esté vaincus, venans demander paix et pardon aux hommes, et leur apporter de l’or et des viandes, ne faillirent d’en aller autant offrir aux cheuaux, auec vne toute pareille harangue à celle des hommes, prenans leur hannissement, pour langage de composition et de trefue.
These new peoples of the Indies, when the Spaniards arrived there, took both the men and the horses to be either gods or animals nobler than their own nature. Some, after being conquered, coming to ask the men for peace and pardon and to bring them gold and food, did not fail to go and offer the same to the horses, with a speech just like the one made to the men, taking their neighing for the language of terms and truce.
Aux Indes de deçà, c’estoit anciennement le principal et royal honneur de cheuaucher vn elephant, le second d’aller en coche, trainé à quatre cheuaux, le tiers de monter vn chameau, le dernier et plus vil degré, d’estre porté ou charrié par vn cheual seul. Quelcun de nostre temps, escrit auoir veu en ce climat là, des païs, où on cheuauche les bœufs, auec bastines, estriers et brides, et s’estre bien trouué de leur porture.
In the East Indies, in former times, the chief and royal honor was to ride an elephant; the second, to go in a coach drawn by four horses; the third, to ride a camel; the last and lowest degree, to be carried or drawn by a single horse. Someone in our time writes that he saw in that region countries where people ride oxen with pack-saddles, stirrups and bridles, and that he was well pleased with how they carried him.
Quintus Fabius Maximus Rutilianus, contre les Samnites, voyant que ses gents de cheual à trois ou quatre charges auoient failly d’enfoncer le bataillon des ennemis, print ce conseil: qu’ils debridassent leurs cheuaux, et brochassent à toute force des esperons: si que rien ne les pouuant arrester, au trauers des armes et des hommes renuersez, ils ouurirent le pas à leurs gens de pied, qui parfirent vne tres-sanglante deffaitte. Autant en commanda Quintus Fuluius Flaccus, contre les Celtiberiens: Id cum maiore vi equorum facietis, si effrænatos in hostes equos immittitis: quod sæpe Romanos equites cum laude fecisse sua, memoriæ proditum est. Detractisque frænis bis vltrò citróque cum magna strage hostium, infractis omnibus hastis, transcurrerunt.
Quintus Fabius Maximus Rutilianus, fighting the Samnites, saw that in three or four charges his horsemen had failed to break the enemy’s formation, and took this course: he had them unbridle their horses and spur them with all their might. Since nothing could stop them, they cut a way through the weapons and the men they overthrew for their foot soldiers, who completed a very bloody defeat. Quintus Fulvius Flaccus gave the same order against the Celtiberians: You will do it with greater force if you send your horses against the enemy unbridled; it is recorded that Roman cavalry have often done this to their glory. And taking off the bridles, they charged through twice, there and back, with great slaughter of the enemy, breaking all their lances.
Le Duc de Moscouie deuoit anciennement cette reuerence aux Tartares, quand ils enuoioyent vers luy des Ambassadeurs, qu’il leur alloit au deuant à pied, et leur presentoit vn gobeau de lait de iument, breuuage qui leur est en delices, et si en beuuant quelque goutte en tomboit sur le crin de leurs cheuaux, il estoit tenu de la lecher auec la langue. En Russie, l’armée que l’Empereur Baiazet y auoit enuoyée, fut accablée d’vn si horrible rauage de neiges, que pour s’en mettre à couuert, et sauuer du froid, plusieurs s’aduiserent de tuer et euentrer leurs cheuaux, pour se getter dedans, et iouyr de cette chaleur vitale.
The Duke of Muscovy formerly owed the Tartars this mark of reverence when they sent ambassadors to him: he went out to meet them on foot and presented them with a goblet of mare’s milk, a drink they relish; and if, while they drank, a drop fell on their horses’ manes, he was bound to lick it off with his tongue. In Russia, the army that the Emperor Bajazet had sent there was overwhelmed by so terrible a snowstorm that, to take shelter and save themselves from the cold, many of them thought of killing and disemboweling their horses and getting inside them, to enjoy that vital warmth.
Baiazet apres cest aspre estour où il fut rompu par Tamburlan, se sauuoit belle erre sur vne jument Arabesque, s’il n’eust esté contrainct de la laisser boire son saoul, au passage d’vn ruisseau: ce qui la rendit si flacque et refroidie, qu’il fut bien aisément apres acconsuiuy par ceux qui le poursuiuoyent. On dit bien qu’on les lasche, les laissant pisser: mais le boire, i’eusse plustost estimé qu’il l’eust renforcée.
Bajazet, after that fierce battle in which he was routed by Tamerlane, would have made good his escape on an Arab mare, had he not been forced to let her drink her fill while crossing a stream. This made her so slack and chilled that he was very easily overtaken afterward by his pursuers. People do say that horses are slackened by letting them piss; but as for drinking, I would rather have thought it would strengthen her.
Crœsus passant le long de la ville de Sardis, y trouua des pastis, où il y auoit grande quantité de serpents, desquels les cheuaux de son armée mangeoient de bon appetit: qui fut vn mauuais prodige à ses affaires, dit Herodote.
Croesus, passing near the city of Sardis, found pastures there with a great quantity of snakes, which the horses of his army ate with a hearty appetite: a bad omen for his affairs, says Herodotus.
Nous appellons vn cheual entier qui a crin et oreille, et ne passent les autres à la montre. Les Lacedemoniens ayant desfait les Atheniens, en la Sicile, retournans de la victoire en pompe en la ville de Syracuse, entre autres brauades, firent tondre les cheuaux vaincus, et les menerent ainsin en triomphe. Alexandre combatit vne nation, Dahas, ils alloyent deux à deux armez à cheual à la guerre, mais en la meslée l’vn descendoit à terre, et combatoient ore à pied, ore à cheual, l’vn apres l’autre.
We call a horse “entire” when it has its mane and ears; the others do not pass muster. The Lacedaemonians, having defeated the Athenians in Sicily and returning from the victory in pomp into the city of Syracuse, among other bravados had the horses of the vanquished shorn and led them thus in triumph. Alexander fought a nation, the Dahae: they went to war in pairs, armed, on horseback, but in the melee one would dismount, and they fought now on foot, now on horseback, one after the other.
Ie n’estime point, qu’en suffisance, et en grace à cheual, nulle nation nous emporte. Bon homme de cheual, à l’vsage de nostre parler, semble plus regarder au courage qu’à l’addresse. Le plus sçauant, le plus seur, le mieux aduenant à mener vn cheual à raison, que i’aye cognu, fut à mon gré Monsieur de Carneualet, qui en seruoit nostre Roy Henry second.
I do not think any nation surpasses us in ability and grace on horseback. “A good horseman,” in our usage, seems to refer more to courage than to skill. The most knowing, the surest and the most graceful at schooling a horse that I have known was, to my taste, Monsieur de Carnavalet, who served our King Henry II in that capacity.
I’ay veu homme donner carriere à deux pieds sur sa selle, demonter sa selle, et au retour la releuer, reaccommoder, et s’y rasseoir, fuyant tousiours à bride auallée: ayant passé par dessus vn bonnet, y tirer par derriere de bons coups de son arc: amasser ce qu’il vouloit, se iettant d’vn pied à terre, tenant l’autre en l’estrier; et autres pareilles singeries, dequoy il viuoit.
I have seen a man gallop standing with both feet on his saddle; take off his saddle and, on the way back, lift it up again, fit it back on and sit in it again, all the while racing with the reins loose; ride over a cap and then shoot good arrows back at it; pick up whatever he wanted, flinging himself to the ground with one foot while keeping the other in the stirrup; and other such monkey tricks, by which he made his living.
On a veu de mon temps à Constantinople, deux hommes sur vn cheual, lesquels en sa plus roide course, se reiettoyent à tours, à terre, et puis sur la selle, Et vn, qui seulement des dents, bridoit et harnachoit son cheual. Vn autre, qui entre deux cheuaux, vn pied sur vne selle, l’autre sur l’autre, portant vn second sur ses bras, piquoit à toute bride: ce second tout debout, sur luy, tirant en la course, des coups bien certains de son arc. Plusieurs, qui les iambes contre-mont, donnoient carriere, la teste plantee sur leurs selles, entre les pointes des simeterres attachez au harnois.
In my time two men were seen at Constantinople on one horse who, at its fastest gallop, would leap by turns to the ground and then back into the saddle. And one who bridled and harnessed his horse with nothing but his teeth. Another who rode at full speed between two horses, one foot on one saddle and the other on the other, carrying a second man in his arms; this second man stood upright on him and shot very accurate arrows from his bow as they went. Several who galloped with their legs in the air and their heads planted on their saddles, between the points of scimitars fastened to the harness.
En mon enfance le Prince de Sulmone à Naples, maniant vn rude cheual, de toute sorte de maniemens, tenoit soubz ses genouz et soubs ses orteils des reales: comme si elles y eussent esté clouées: pour montrer la fermeté de son assiette.
When I was a child, the Prince of Sulmona, at Naples, putting a rough horse through every kind of maneuver, held reales under his knees and under his toes as if they had been nailed there, to show the firmness of his seat.