in the manege, a rest or support for the horseman's foot, for enabling him to mount, and for keeping him firm in his seat.

Stirrups were unknown to the ancients. The want of them in getting upon horseback was supplied by agility or art. Some horses were taught to stoop to take their riders up; but the riders often leapt up by the help of their spears, or were assisted by their slaves, or made use of ladders for the purpose. Gracchus filled the highways with stones, which were intended to answer the same end. The same was also required of the surveyors of the roads in Greece as part of their duty.

Menage observes, that St Jerome is the first author who mentions them. But the passage alluded to is not to be found in his epistles; and if it were there, it would prove nothing, because St Jerome lived at a time when stirrups are supposed to have been invented, and after the use of saddles. Montfaucon denies the authenticity of this passage; and, in order to account for the ignorance of the ancients with regard to an instrument so useful and so easy of invention, he observes, that while Art of cloths and housings only were laid upon the horses backs, on which the riders were to fit, stirrups could not have been used, because they could not have been fastened with the same security as upon a saddle. But it is more

(a) So called from the wailings and lamentations (in Scotch, gowlings) that were made for Duke Murdoch. more probable, that in this instance, as in many others, the progress of human genius and invention is uncertain and slow, depending frequently upon accidental causes.

STIRRUP of a Ship, a piece of timber put upon a ship's keel, when some of her keel happens to be beaten off, and they cannot come conveniently to put or fit in a new piece; then they patch in a piece of timber, and bind it on with an iron, which goes under the ship's keel, and comes up on each side of the ship, where it is nailed strongly with spikes; and this they call a stirrup.

ΣΙΓΩΒΑΕΟΣ, JOHN, a laborious Greek writer, who lived at the end of the fourth century, composed many works, of which there are only his Collections remaining, and even these are not as he composed them; many things being inserted by later authors. This work contains many important sentiments collected from the ancient writers, poets, and philosophers.