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I Have seen the Finest Shap't of them in the World; the Finest Shap't Heads, and the Best set On; the Finest Turned Necks, and the Thinnest, and Well Risen; Excellent Backs, good Bodies; their Leggs Clean, and Sinewy; Admi∣rable Hooffs; their Croups a little Slender: And
in a Word, No Horse in the world Finer Shap't, and only their Ears are a Little Long, which, me∣thinks, is a Grace to them. They are of all Co∣lours, as Bayes, Dapple-Grayes, and so forth. Ex∣treamly Strong, as Strong as Two Horses; very Large, some as Large as any Horse whatsoever, and of great Prices; as three, and four Hundred Pi∣stols a Mule. The King of Spain hath Beauti∣full, and Large ones in his Coach; they Use them very much for the Saddle; for they Amble most Curiously, and Easily; they seldom Stumble, but when they Do, they never Fall further than their Knees.
They are very Safe and Sure to Ride on; there be some very Little ones, and Fine ones, like Gallowayes; and those Commonly great Ge∣nerals, and Commanders, Ride on in the Trenches, and about Fortifi'd Castles, to View them: The Grosser sort they Use for Sumpters, Waggons, and Carriers for many things. They also Ride Post on them; and Don John de Borge, who was Go∣vernour at Antwerp, told me, That they would Amble as fast as Any Horse could Gallop.
They Live Long, and Sound, Thirty Years at least: There are Males and Females of them, and very Hot they are in the Act of Generation, but never produce any thing, with any thing; either to Get, or Bring Forth.
They say, One is never assured of them from Biting or Striking though the Groom hath kept them Twenty Years; But I perceive no such Thing in them: And I have seen a Mule go in Capriols, excellently well. They say, They have Ill Mouths; but that's because they Spoyl them with Horrible Bitts: For they use both Other Bitts, and other Saddles and Furniture to them, than to Horses; wherein they are very much Mi∣staken. To those that are for the Saddle, I would use the very same Bitts and Saddles, as for Horses, and no otherwise. 'Tis true, that for Sumpters, there be Proper things that they use for Them only, and not for Horses, which is very Comely. And in Spain, they use in their Coaches, Ropes for the Mules (and the Horses also) to Draw the Coaches withall. They are Excellent to Ride on in Sto∣ney-Wayes, none like them; they are so Sure of Foot.
The Stallions that Get these Mules, are Asses, upon very Fine Spanish Mares.
Sir Benjamin Wright, being a Merchant at Ma∣drid, Writ to me once, That a Stallion Asse would Cost, at the least, Two Hundred and Fifty Pistols; but others Tell me of Greater Prices that They are at: and great Reason, since Mules are of so great Use to them in Spain.
My Lord Cottington told me, That the Asses in Spain, are Greater and Larger Beasts, than ever he saw of Horses in all his Life, and almost of Any other Beast; and are so Furious, and full of Spirit, That there is Men, that Live only by the Ordering of them, and no Other Men can do it, but those men which make a Trade of it; for Others would be Kill'd by them. And These Men Hood the Asses when they Cover any Mares, that they may not See them; for otherwise they would Pull the Mares in Pieces, and Kill them. When they Bray, it is a most Lowd and Horrid Noise, beyond any Lyon in the world.
Now you see, There is great Reason, why they should be of Great Prices; but one that Thinks
they should be just such Little dull Asses as are in England, of Twenty or Thirty Shillings a Piece, would Laugh to hear this Tale told; Be∣cause they think there is Nothing more in the World than they have seen: As in such a case, Sir Walter Rawley said well, That there are Stran∣ger Things in the World, than between Stains and London. The Asses in France, are just like the Asses in England; Little, Lazy, Dull, and Wo∣ful things, and of as Small Price; only in those Parts of France that are next Spain, there the Asses are Large, but nothing in Comparison of those in Spain.
The Shee-Asses in Spain, are very Fair, and Large; For else, How can you Imagine such huge, large, and great Puissant Beasts should be Produc'd?