Salve æternum mihi, maxime Palla,
Æternumque vale.—Æneid, XI. 97.
Thus also a passage in Catullus,—Ave atque vale.
[29] Druid, Druides, or Druidæ.—Some derive this word from the Hebrew Derussim, or Drussim; which they translate Contemplatores. Pliny, Salmasius, Vignierius, and others, derive the name from δρυς, an oak, on account of their inhabiting, or at least frequenting and teaching in forests, or because they sacrificed under the oak. Menage derives the word from the old British “Drus,” which signifies “Dæmon” or “Magician;” Borel, from the old British “Dru” or “Deru;” whence he takes δρυς to be derived. Goropius Becanus, lib. i. takes “Druis” to be an old Celtic or German word, formed from “trowis” or “truis,” signifying a “Doctor of the Truth and Faith.” Father Peyron, in his book of the Original of the Celtic Language, will have both Greek and Latin to come from Celtic; and if so, the Greek word δρυς must come from the Celtic “deru.” The groves where they worshipped were called Llwyn; thence, probably, is derived the word “Llan,” signifying now, in Welch, a church. These groves were inclosures of spreading oak, ever surrounding their sacred places; and in these words, “1st. Gorseddan,” or Hillocks, where they sat, and from whence they pronounced their decrees, and delivered their orations to the people; “2nd. Carnedde,” or Heaps of Stones, on which they had a peculiar mode of worship; “3rd. Cromlech,” or Altars, on which they performed the solemnities of sacrifice.
There were several orders of them:—1st. Druids; the chief of these was a sort of Pontifex Maximus, or High Priest; these had the care and direction of matters respecting religion; 2nd. Bards; who were an inferior order to the Druids, and whose business it was to celebrate the praises of their heroes, in songs composed and sung to their harps; 3rd. Eubates; who applied themselves chiefly to the study of Philosophy, and the contemplation of the wonderful works of Nature.
There were Women as well as Men Druids; for it was a female Druid who foretold to Dioclesian, when a private soldier, that he would be Emperor of Rome. They taught physics, or natural philosophy; were versed in astronomy and the computation of time; were skilled in arithmetic and mechanics; and appear to have been the grand source from whence the ages in which they lived derived all the knowledge which they possessed.
Among the numerous places sacred to Druidical worship many hieroglyphical characters have been discovered, which doubtless were intended for something relative to their opinions of the Deity to whom they paid their adoration. But, in addition to this, they taught their pupils a number of verses, which were only a sort of memorials or annals in use amongst them. Some persons remained twenty years under their instruction, which they did not deem it lawful to commit to writing. They used indeed the Greek alphabet, but not the language, as appears by a note, chap. xiii. lib. VI. of Cæsar’s Commentaries de Bell. Gall. This custom, according to Julius Cæsar, seems to have been adopted for two reasons: first, not to expose their doctrines to the common people; and, secondly, lest their scholars, trusting to letters, should be less anxious to remember their precepts, because such assistance commonly diminishes application and weakens the memory.
The original manner of writing amongst the ancient Britons was by cutting the letters with a knife upon sticks, which were commonly squared, and sometimes formed with three sides. Their religious ceremonies were but few, and similar to those of the ancient Hebrews. The unity of the Supreme Being was the foundation of their religion; and Origen, in his Commentaries of Ezekiel, inquiring into the reasons of the rapid progress of Christianity in Britain, says, “this island has long been predisposed to it by the doctrine of the Druids, which had ever taught the unity of God the Creator.” (Extracted from the Monthly Magazine and Literary Panorama for November 1819.)
[30] This author is mistaken. Norden not only speaks of it as follows, but has given a tolerably good plate of it. He says, “Trethevic, called in Latin Casa Gigantis, a little house raysed of mightie stones, standing on a little hill within a field, the form hereunder expressed. This monument standeth in the parish of St. Cleer. The cover being all one stone is from A to B 16 foote in length; the breadth from C to D is 10 foote; the thickness from G to H is 2 foote. E is an artificial hole 8 inches diameter, made thorowe the roofe very rounde, which served, as it seemeth, to put out a staffe, whereof the house itself was not capable. F was the door or entrance.”