one thousand one hundred and forty, they were reduced to a regular body of religious in France, and built a college in the city of Orleans. They were heretofore one of the two estates of France, to whom were committed the care of providing sacrifices, of prescribing laws for worship, and deciding controversies concerning rights and properties.

In the most distant antiquity in ancient Gaul and Britain, they were elected out of the best families, and were held both from the honours of their birth and office in the greatest veneration. Their study was astrology, geometry, natural history, politics, and geography: they had the administration of all sacred things, were the interpreters of religion, and the judges of all matters indifferently. They had a chief or arch-druid in every country. They had the tutorage of youth, and taught them many verses, which they caused them to learn by heart, without the assistance of writing; in which manner they instructed them in the mysteries of their religion, the sciences,

"gather it very devoutly, and with many ceremonies. To that end "they observe that the moon be just six days old, for on that day "their months and new years commence, and also their several ages, "which have their revolutions every thirty years. They call the "misleto all-heal, for they have an opinion that it is an universal remedy « against all diseases. When they are about to gather it, after they " have duly prepared their sacrifices and festivals under the tree, they bring thither two young bullocks, milk-white, whose horns are then " and not before bound up; this done, the priest arrayed in a surplace ❝or white vesture, climbeth the tree, and with a golden bill cutteth “off the misleto, which those beneath receive in a white cloth; they "then slay the beasts for sacrifice, pronouncing many orisons and prayers, "that it would please God to bless these his gifts, to their good " on whom he had bestowed them."

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and politics. At the conclusion of each year, they held a general festival and assembly, in which they paid their adoration, and offered gifts to the God of Nature, bringing with them misleto and branches of oaks; in mystic verses, supplicating for approaching spring, and renewing the year. At their sacrifices,

I cannot quit the subject of the Druids' worship, without taking notice of the charge made against them by Solinus and Dio Cassius, "that they offered human victims, or men's flesh, in their sacrifices.”—If we examine this charge with candour, we will not impute to them so great an offence against the God of Nature and Humanity, as appears at first sight: they were judges of all matters, civil and religious ;— they were the executors of the law as being the ministers of God, to them was committed the administration of justice. I shall admit that they used human sacrifices, but those sacrifices were criminals; were offenders against society, obnoxious to the world for their sins, and adjudged to be deserving of death for their heinous wickedness. The great attributes of God, to which they paid the most religious deference, was Justice :-to the God of Justice they offered up those offenders who had sinned against the laws-punishments by death were of very early date, and such punishments have never been esteemed a stigma on the states in which they were used.-Such executions, by the Druids, were at once designed as punishments and examples: the utmost solemnity, and the most hallowed rites, preceded and prepared this tremendous exhibition, to impress on the minds of the spectators the deepest religious reverence; and the utmost horror of the sufferings, and detestation of the crimes for which they suffered, were endeavoured to be instilled into the hearts of those who were present at this execution, by the doctrine of the Druids. The criminals were shut up in an effigy of wicker work, of a gigantic size, in whose chambers of tribulations they suffered an ignominious death, by burning-This effigy represented the Tyrian Hercules, whose name of Remphan, in the Hebrew tongue, implies a giant.-With him came the Phoenicians to this land, from whom the Amonian rites and Hebrew customs were taught to the Druids.-Under this name, word ship was also paid to the God of Nature, symbolized by the Sun,--Ig

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and in their religious offices, they wore white apparel; and the victims were two white bulls. They opened a sessions once a year, in a certain consecrated place, in which all causes were tried and determined. They worshipped one Supreme God, immense and infinite; but would not confine their worship to temples built with human hands; professing the universe was the temple of the Deity; esteeming any other inconsistent with his attributes. Their whole law and religion were taught in verse. Some Druids spent twenty years in learning to repeat those sacred and scientific distichs, which it was forbidden to commit to writing; by which means they were withheld from the vulgar. Such was the aversion and enmity entertained by the Romans against the Druids, that (as Suetonius says) their rites were prohibited by Augustus, and totally abolished by Claudius Cæsar.

MANY probable conjectures have been made, that the Phoenicians* visited this land in very early ages.

honour and commemoration of him, the criminals were committed to his effigy, as being delivered to the God of Justice.

"When we speak of the Phoenicians, we must distinguish the "times with accuracy. These people possessed originally a large ex"tent of countries, comprised under the name of the land of Canaan. They lost the greatest part of it, by the conquests of the Israelites "under Joshua. The lands which fell in division to the tribe of "Asher, extended to Sidon; that city notwithstanding was not sub"dued. If the conquests of Joshua took from the Phoenicians a great part of their dominion, they were well paid by the consequences of "that event. In effect, the greatest part of the ancient inhabitants of "Palestine, seeing themselves threatened with entire destruction, had "recourse to flight to save themselves. Sidon offered them an asylum. "By this irruption of the Hebrew people, the Sidonians were enabled

It has been attempted to be proved, from the similarity of the habit worn, and staff carried, by the western Britons. This staff was used by the Druids, and has the name of Diogenes' staff. In a description given by Mr. Selden of some statues of Druids which were dug up at Wichtelberg, in Germany, it is particularly mentioned. The Phoenicians most probably introduced to these teachers the laws and customs known amongst the ancient Hebrews, and specified in the Levitical institutions. The altars or temples of the Druids, and also their obelisks, or monuments of memorable events, of which many remains are to be

to send colonies where ever they thought proper. Sidon lent them "ships, and made good use of these new inhabitants, to extend their "trade and form settlements. From hence that great number of co"lonies, which went then from Phoenicia, to spread themselves in all "the country of Africa and Europe."-We may date this event about the year of the world two thousand four hundred and fifty-three, and one thousand four hundred and fifty-one years before Christ.

Spain was not the only country beyond the pillars of Hercules " which the Phoenicians penetrated. Being familiarized with the navigation of the ocean, they extended themselves to the left of the "Straits of Cadiz as far as the right.-Strabo assures, that these people "had gone over a part of the western coast of Africa a little time "after the war of Troy.

"We might perhaps determine their passage into England, by a "reflection which the reading of the writers of antiquity furnishes us "with: they are persuaded that all the tin that was consumed in the "known world came from the isles of Cassitorides; and there is no " doubt that these isles were the Sorlingues, and a part of Cornwall: "We see by the books of Moses, that in his time tin was known in "Palestine. Homer teaches us also, that they made use of this metal "in the heroic ages. It should follow then, that the Phoenicians had traded in England in very remote antiquity."

De Goguet on the Original of Arts and Sciences.

seen at this day, bear the greatest similarity to those mentioned in the Old Testament: Gen. xxviii. 16, "And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, Surely the "Lord is in this place, and I knew it not."-Ver. 17, "And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this "place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is "the gate of heaven."-Ver. 18, " And Jacob rose up

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early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put " for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil " upon the top of it."-Ver. 22, "And this stone, which "I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house."-Exod. XX. 25, "And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, "thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if thou lift up << thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”—Exod. xxiv. 4, "And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, "and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of "Israel."-Ver. 5, "And he sent young men of the "children of Israel, which offered burnt-offerings of oxen "unto the Lord."-Deut. xxvii. 2, "And it shall be on "the day when ye shall pass over Fordan unto the land "which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set. "thee up great stones.”—Ver. 4, Therefore it shall be "when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day in mount Ebal.” Ver. 5, "And there thou shalt build an altar unto the "Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up

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any iron tool upon them."-Ver. 6, "Thou shalt build "the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones, and thou "shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto the Lord thy "God.". -It was usual to give those places the name of the house of the Lord. 1 Chro. xxii. 1, "This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the