But concerning the knowledge of the cross which the Druids had, and of their religion more at large, I shall discourse fully in the next volume, which will conclude what I have to say concerning them and their works.
4. From what has been delivered in the speculative part of this treatise, the springs of idolatry appear sufficiently. For the race of heroes that built these patriarchal temples in the eastern part of the world especially, and propagated true religion, were some ages after deify’d by their idolatrous posterity; and had names of consecration taken from the divine attributes, and the just notions delivered to them concerning the nature of the deity.
5. If then we reflect on the foregoing description of the work of Abury, whether we consider the figure it is built upon, the antiquity or the grandeur of it, we must needs admire it, as deservedly to be rank’d among the greatest wonders on the face of the earth. The ancients indeed did make huge temples of immense pillars in colonnades, like a small forest; or vast concaves of cupolas to represent the heavens; they made gigantick colosses to figure out their gods; but to our British Druids was reserv’d the honour of a more extensive idea, and of executing it. They have made plains and hills, valleys, springs and rivers contribute to form a temple of three miles in length. They have stamp’d a whole country with the impress of this sacred character, and that of the most permanent nature. The golden temple of Solomon is vanish’d, the proud structure of the Babylonian Belus, the temple of Diana at Ephesus, that of Vulcan in Egypt, that of the Capitoline Jupiter are perish’d and obliterated, whilst Abury, I dare say, older than any of them, within a very few years ago, in the beginning of this century, was intire; and even now, there are sufficient traces left, whereby to learn a perfect notion of the whole. Since I frequented the place, I fear it has suffer’d: but at that time, there was scarce a single stone in the original ground-plot wanting, but I could trace it to the person then living who demolish’d it, and to what use and where.
This I verily believe to have been a truly patriarchal temple, as the rest likewise, which we have here described; and where the worship of the true God was perform’d. And I conclude with what Epiphanius writes, speaking of the old religion from the beginning of the world. Non erat judaismus aut secta quæpiam alia: sed ut ita dicam, ea quæ nunc in præsenti sancta Dei catholica ecclesia obtinet, fides erat; quæ cum ab initio extiterit, postea rursum est manifestata. He affirms Adam and all the patriarchs from him to Abraham, were no other than christians; and this is the doctrine of the apostle of the Gentiles, 1 Cor. ix. 21.
INDEX.
- The dignity of the study of antiquities, Page [1], [46]
- Religion the principal purpose of life, [6], [7], [55], [85], [100]
- The patriarchal and Christian religion the same, [4], [6], [62], [68], [89], [102]
- Publick religion began with Adam’s grandson, Enos, [2], [6]
- Exercis’d in a publick place call’d a temple, [3], [7], [25]
- A temple was an open circle of stones, [4], [8]
- Groves planted as cathedrals, summer-temples, [4], [5]
- Groves and temples equivocal, ibid.
- The Druid temples were patriarchal, [4], [5], [102]
- Heathen remains of patriarchal temples, [5], [8], [33], [52], [83]
- Our patriarchal round temples often dedicated to the sun, [9], [67]
- Likewise to dead heroes who built them, [13], [84], [95], [98], [101]
- Publick religion was on a stated day, the sabbath, [6], [36], [68]
- Heathen remains of the sabbath, [68]
- The ordinary service of publick religion was call’d invoking, [3], [4], [6]
- Heathen remains of invoking, [4], [6]
- This implies an expected mediator, Messiah, [3], [6]
- Jehovah was the Messiah who appear’d visibly, [3], [6]
- Knowledge of the nature of the deity, the highest wisdom, [7], [85], [90]
- From that knowledge idolatry first began, [62], [84], [89], [101]
- Sacrificing was the extraordinary service of religion, [4], [38]
- At the four solar ingresses, [68]
- Temples were form’d on figures of the symbol of the deity, [8], [9], [92]
- Whence thought prophylactic, to guard the ashes of the dead, [41], [52], [82], [95]
- When desecrated to idolatry, the Mosaic tabernacle was order’d; square and cover’d, [3], [5], [8], [14], [24], [62], [72]
- Three kinds of Druid or patriarchal temples, from the threefold symbol of the deity. First, the circle, [9]
- The circle, the symbol of the Supreme, [54], [61]
- The Supreme, as invisible, had no picture, no name, [3], [50], [62], [98]
- Called As, Atys, Hesus, by the Druids, [100]
- Rowldrich temple described, as an example of the first kind, [10]
- The requisites of a Druid temple drawn up, [10], [13]