In reflecting upon these matters as I travelled along, it seemed to me not much to be doubted, that, as Stonehenge is an improvement upon Abury, so Abury is executed upon a grander plan, taken from this, or some such like. I can scarce think there ever was an avenue to this work, nor any ditch about it. It is true, there is a ditch, or mote, now round the north side along the river: but I believe it was only a fish-pond, or canal, made for the use of the manor-house, or the nunnery, in whose demesnes soever it were; and it is plain there is no sign of a ditch on the south side, where most occasion, because the river on the other side produces the use and effect of it: and if those stones called Hautvile’s Coyts were not set there for direction of the old Britons which way to come in this woody country, or where a ford of the river was, why might they not be stones dropped by the way in journeying to the temple? and they are of the same dimensions with that on the back of the cove. I am very apt to think there was another work, a cove at least, in a triangle with the other and the lunar circle; and the rather, because the manor-house and offices being built upon its situation, it were easy for them to throw it down under some foundation: and then the area, or whole content of the oval knoll, would be filled up handsomely, and with great regularity. And indeed I am shocked at the number of the works at present, being four; whereas that of five seems much more eligible in this case, both as an odd number, and an harmonic: for I doubt not but the Druids, the contrivers of these structures, had a good notion of music, as I could evidence in some observations I have made in the very matters before us; but I fear to be thought whimsical in a thing of this nature, and in a subject so wholly new. It is certain Pythagoras, the Arch-druid, as I venture to call him, completed this art. Now, what can be plainer than the conformity between this work and Abury? the same situation, near the spring of a river, upon a knoll in a large valley, guarded from severity of weather by environing hills: here is the cove of three stones; the circle of twelve; that of thirty stones, all set at the same intervals of thirty foot: here are the concentric circles. But then Abury is a vastly more extensive and magnificent design; the stones of much larger dimensions, and much more numerous. Here are two circles, the one of twelve, the other of thirty stones; but at Abury they have repeated them, and doubled them, by setting one within the other: the quincuple circle they have infinitely exceeded by the prodigious circular portico of a hundred stones on a side; then by the mighty ditch and vallum encompassing it; by two avenues three miles in length, each of a hundred stones on a side: by the temple on Overton hill, by Silbury hill, and other matters, they have so far exceeded their copy, that in the total they have outdone themselves, and created a Celtic wonder of the world, or the eighth. But to return to our present subject.
The stones of our innermost circle of the quincuple one are twelve foot high above ground, and are of a square form, being four foot broad on each side, whence they compose three solids, one set upon another, and therefore appeared higher above the tops of the rest. Five of them are standing, and the roots of them two which are placed close together with their edges, and which make the cove; for the stones themselves are split from their foundation by some unaccountable violence, which, upon consideration, I can attribute to nothing less than a stroke of lightning; nor can I conceive that any other impulse, except that of a cannon bullet, could have so disjointed or fractured them. This set of circles are placed on the eastern side of the knoll, and have a fine declivity two or three ways for carrying off the rain. This niche, or cove, if such it be, opens to the north, and a little westerly: several of the stones of the outer circles stand on the other side of the hedge, and two or three are sunk into the ditch: those are vulgarly called the Fidlers, as the others the Maids, or the revel rout attendant on a marriage festival; for the people of this country have a notion, that upon a time a couple were married on a Sunday, and the friends and guests were so prophane as to dance upon the green together, and by a divine judgment were thus converted into stones: so I suppose the two stones so close together in the inner circle were reputed the Bride and Bridegroom: the rest were the Company dancing, and the Fidlers stood on the outside. I have observed that this notion and appellation of Weddings, Brides, and the like, is not peculiar to this place, but applied to many other of these Celtic monuments about the kingdom; as the Nine Maids in Cornwall, nine great stones set all in a row: whence possibly one may conjecture, in very ancient times it was a custom here, even of the Christians, to solemnise marriage and other holy rites in these ancient temples, perhaps before churches were built in little parishes: and even now they retain, or very lately did, in Scotland, a custom of burying people in the like temples, as judging them holy ground; without all doubt, continued down from the Druidical times. Or there may be another conceit offered, of which the reader may chuse which pleases him best; that is, that such names of these places may be derived from the mad, frolicksome, and Bacchanalian ceremonies of the ancient Britons in their religious festivals, like those of all other nations which are recorded to us in history. However, I think it is a confirmation of what wants none, that these are the temples of the Gods, made by our British predecessors; of which we come next to deliver our opinion.
We are to consider, upon the plan proposed, what regard is had to the Celtic Deities, which we said were seven in number; and methinks it is easy to point out at this day the particular Gods worshipped in these places, as I have named them upon the Plate. The Sun and Moon, no doubt, claim the highest place in the opinion of all nations; therefore their temples are situate in the midst of the plain of the oval knoll: these are the two single circles: the Sun’s is easily distinguishable from the other by its bulk, and being toward the right hand, and toward the east, the more worthy part: this consisting of 30 stones, and the other of 12, seem to mean the Solar month, and Lunar year: the quincuple circle I suppose consecrate to the five lesser planets; and that the cove appertained to the Service of the Goddess of the Earth, therefore opens to the South, respecting full the meridian power of the Soul of the World, without whose beams it is dead and inert. Hence therefore the reason of their order in Situation: the Lunar temple is next the earth, because so in the heavens; the Sun next above; and the planets highest, according to the order one would be apt to suppose they observed in Nature. It seems likely that the Celtic philosophers reckoned the north the highest part or end of the world, either from the elevation of the north pole to us of northern latitude, as our geographers now practise in maps and charts, by making the north part uppermost; or because they came from that quarter of the world in the progress of nations: but we must join the east with it; for that, ever since the Creation, in all systems of religion, and nations, has been especially reverenced, because of the Sun’s rising: and the west was reckoned the lower part of the world, the hell and region of the dead, the Elysian Shades, and the like; because the Sun sets there, and seems to go down: therefore we may observe the reason of the cove being placed most westerly, because the earth possesses the lowest place, the rest mounting north-easterly. The niche or cove of the innermost planet regards the north, or a little westerly, as denoting, beyond the stars was stretched out the great inane of Nature, or infinite space, the empty north, as most distant and dissonant from the south, where was the Sun and world, the foundation of being. If one would enter into their theology, one might conjecture that they meant likewise the creation of the world; for the north, or immense void, being uppermost in their esteem, showed that the world was produced from nothing, by the Supreme Power. To this purpose holding night prior to day, they reckoned their time by winters, nights, etc. One other remark I made on the genius and geometry of the founders of the Weddings; that in the inner circle of the Planetary temple, which is but 90 foot diameter, and therefore an eye in the centre is very near them, there is a considerable artifice used in its component stones; for, though they be square, yet they are so managed that the face on the outside of the periphery is somewhat broader than the other three; hereby it is caused, that the two sides upon the radius respect the centre of the circle. This is contrived to prevent the great offence to the eye which would otherwise have been caused in this lesser circle, had the stones been perfectly square, and, instead thereof, give a particular delight.
I mentioned before, how much I suspected a cove which had stood near the manor-house in the north-west part of the knoll: this I would have dedicated to the element of Water, or particularly to the river flowing by, the Isca, which I have shewn to be its Celtic name: and this cove, thus situate, would offer itself conveniently to the course of the stream, and meet, as it were, to salute the Nymphs or Naids moving down the Stream eastward. I think likewise this might be another reason of their pitching upon this piece of ground; for probably they might think there was more sanctity in a river that ran eastward: it is certain the ancients accounted it more wholesome, for a physical reason, as meeting the Sun’s rising beams, to purify it from all noxious vapor: and for this same reason is there another similitude between this work and that of Abury, the Kennet running eastward its whole length.
As soon as I came on the ground, I observed the form of the hill or knoll that contains this work, and that it perfectly resembles that of the ancient circus’s; and the fine lawn on the south side, together with the interval northwards between it and the river, made an admirable cursus for races of horses, chariots, and the like, as I doubt not in the least to have been the practice in old British times at this very place. This notion is exceedingly confirmed by the remarkable turn in the road, humouring exactly the circuit of this cursus, and coinciding with part of it, as is apparent in the view of the country Plate; and just on the south side the manor-house is a declivity at this day, and so quite round, admirably adapted to the benefit of the spectators, who, running round in a lesser circle, might easily equal the swiftness of the horse, and be spectators of the whole course. I suppose all the sorts of games practised here, which are mentioned in Homer upon the death of Patroclus: this was done at their great religious festivals, and at the exequies of renowned commanders, kings, and chiefs; for it is remarkable at this very day, all those sports mentioned by the most ancient poet are now practised among us; which shews our Asian extract from the early times, and only accounts for that surprising custom of chariots mentioned to be among the Britons by Cæsar, which they wisely applied to war likewise, whilst the Romans used them only upon their circus and diversions. The great plain in the middle of the area was convenient for the works of sacrificing, and after for feastings, wrestling, coyting, and the like: and from the memory, perhaps, of these kind of exercises, sprung the notion of Sir John Hautvil’s Coyts, he being a strong and valiant man, and expert in these games of our hardy ancestors: the vulgar confounded the two histories into one, and, fond of the marvellous, applied the name of Coyts to those monstrous stones. So in Wales to this day they call the Kromlechea, Arthur’s Coyts.
Thus therefore we may in imagination view a solemn sacrifice of magnanimous Britons, the Druids and other priests, the kings and people assembled: we may follow them imitating the course of the Sun, and, like the ancient Greeks at their solemn games, celebrating splendidly, in honour of their Gods, upon the winding banks of the rivers. The temple at Diospolis in Egypt, described by Strabo, XVII. is not unlike our Celtic ones, having a dromos, or circ, before it, with stones cut like sphynges to mark out the route, and a portico quite round. The walls, says he, are as high as the temple, which is without roof, and covered over with sculpture of large figures. There is one part composed of abundance of huge pillars set in very many rows, having nothing painted or elegant, but seems like an empty labour, as he expresses it; and this was, because the Grecian temples of his country were covered over, and the walls adorned with painting and carving, and all sorts of curiosities in art. In this temple (he proceeds) were formerly great houses for the priests, men given to philosophy and astronomy: but now that order and discipline is failed, and only some sorry fellows left, that take care of the sacrifices, and show the things to strangers. Eudoxus and Plato went hither, and lived thirteen years to learn of them. These priests knew the minute excess of the year above 365 days, and many more like things; for, says he, the Greeks were ignorant of the year at that time. Thus far Strabo. It is notorious from the foregoing particulars, how near a resemblance these had to our Celtic temples, and likewise to the famous ruins at Persepolis, which I always looked upon as a great temple of the Persians. Those that think it the ruins of a royal palace, run away content with the report of the ignorant people living thereabouts. This temple of the Egyptians, which Strabo describes, had no roof; and therefore it would be absurd to place paintings in it, and fine carvings of ivory, gold and marble, from the hand of Phidias, or Praxiteles, as was the usage of the Greeks; whence Strabo takes occasion to throw a sarcasm upon people that he would not have thought so elegant as his countrymen. It is certain the Egyptians, as well as our Celts, studied greatness and astonishment, beyond the nice and curious; as is visible in all their works, such as the pyramids, the obelisks, Pompey’s pillar, the monstrous colossi and sphynges, of which we have many accounts in writers, and many of their prodigious works still left, which defy time by their magnitude, like our Celtic: but the Greeks ought to be so grateful as to acknowledge by whom they profited; for they learnt first from the Egyptians; nor will we deny that they improved upon them. When Strabo mentions these roofless temples, and walls covered with sculptures of large figures, and the abundance of huge pillars set in many rows, who sees not the exact conformity between this work, and that of Persepolis? and these collections of pillars, though I suppose set in a square form, are no other than our quincuple circle. I took notice too, that these temples are set in such straggling order as ours here at Stanton Drue, and by examination find that the two largest are at an angle of 20 degrees of one another (I mean, their middle points, or centres) from the cardinal line, or that which runs from east to west: here is likewise the same number of five temples, and like diversity of number of stones, and manner of forms in each, as of ours: the only difference consists in the one being square, the other round; owing to the particular notions of the two people, judging this, and that, most apt for sacred structures. The work at Persepolis too is made upon an artificial eminence, or pavement of most prodigious stones, instead of a natural one, the ascent to which is by steps; which is enough to overthrow any notion of a palace: but they that see not its intent, that it was wholly a religious building, and that there is not one symptom of its being a civil one, ought to be disregarded. All the sculptures are religious, being processions of the priests to sacrifice; which has nothing to do with a palace: the work of pillars never had a roof on it, because of the flower-work at top: besides, there are no walls, never were; and what the incurious spectators take for walls, are only single stones set like those of our monument: and the doors are no more than one stone laid across two more, as those of Stonehenge: the mouldings of them go quite round; so that, had there been a wall, half of them would have been covered. But it is lost time to speak any more of that affair.
79·2d.
Stukeley d.