because in the recital of the pedigree, he tells us, they were got by this same North-country Horse before mentioned, called Boreas, and out of a flying Mare called Podarge.  But the singularity of this case is, that the third Horse, whom he calls Pedasus**, was absolutely a common Horse, and of no blood.  Here I beg leave to make use of Mr. Pope’s words, who, in his translation, speaking of those Horse, says thus: 

“Who like in strength, in swiftness, and in grace, “A mortal courser match’d th’immortal race.”

Now as nothing is more certain, than that no Horses but those of blood can race in our days, I have long been endeavouring to find the true reason of this singular instance, and cannot any way account for it, but by supposing this equality of strength and elegance might produce an equality of swiftness.  This consideration naturally produced another, which is, that the blood of all Horses may be merely ideal; and if so, a word of no meaning.  But before I advance any thing more on this hypothesis, and that I may not be guilty of treason against the received laws of jockey-ship, I do here lay it down as a certain truth, that no Horses but such as come from foreign countries, or which are of extraction totally foreign, can race.  In this opinion every man will readily join me, and this opinion will be confirmed by every man’s experience and observation.

But in discussing this point, I shall beg leave, when speaking of these Horses, to change the word high-bred, and in its room substitute the word foreigner, or of foreign extraction.  For perhaps it may appear, that the excellence we find in these Horses depends totally on the mechanism of their parts, and not in their blood; and that all the particular distinctions and fashions thereof, depend also on the whim and caprice of mankind.

If we take a Horse bred for the cart, and such a one as we call a hunter, and a horse of foreign extraction, and set them together, the meanest judge will easily point out the best racer, from the texture, elegance, and symmetry of their parts, without making any appeal to blood.  Allow but a difference in the texture, elegance, and symmetry of parts in different Horses, whose extraction is foreign, this principle will be clearly proved, and the word high-bred is of no use, but to puzzle and lead us astray:  and every man’s daily observation would teach him, if he was not lost in this imaginary error, particular blood, that, generally speaking, such Horses who have the finest texture, elegance of shape, and the most proportion, are the best racers, let their blood be of what kind it will, always supposing it to be totally foreign.  If I was asked what beauty was, I should say proportion:  if I was asked what strength was, I should say proportion also:  but I would not be understood to mean, that this strength and beauty alone will constitute a racer, for we shall find a proper length also will be wanted for the sake