and in substituting a superstition al- | Rollwright of Bollrich, in Oxfordshire, most heathen for the spiritual doctrines of Christianity."-Rev. H. H. Milman.

Arber-low in Derbyshire, and the Hurlers and Dance-Man in Cornwall: the sepulchral mounds known by the name of cairns, carnes, or cardnedes (in Welsh carydd, and in French galgals), that is a heap of stones; also cromlehs, cromleichs, or cromlechs; Kist-vaens, or "stone-chests," called in

Legends are connected with most of the druidical circles, implying that the stones were originally petrified men and women at a wedding, a festival, or a dance. Stonehenge was called the giants' the Channel Islands, Antels or altars dance. (Gen. xii. 7, 8; xxvi. 25), and Pequi

Stanton Drew is said to have been a lays (that is, "heaps of stones"), but wedding party petrified.

which Wright supposes are "sepulchral chambers denuded of their mounds;" tolmen, or stones of passage, and in French dolmen, or stone tables, as

Dance Main implies the dance of stones, once young women, who danced there on the Sabbath day. Rollrich, a band of marauding sol- Kits-Coty House, in Kent, Chun-Quoit, diers turned into stones.

Similar legends exist also in other countries. They are connected with fairies and demons.

"The prohibition to worship stones by the earlier Christian Ecclesiastical laws and ordinances, and which without doubt relate to these monuments, attest the antiquity, and greatly contributed to their destruction."-Wright, p. 63.

in Cornwall, etc.; and Druidical circles or orals of stone (Josh. iv. 5); the upright rude pillars, massive pyramidal blocks of stone, and obelisks, which are found scattered all over the habitable globe, and on most of which "no tool of man had been lifted" (Ex. xx. 25; Deut. xxvii. 4, 5), were raised as memorials of affection; as sepulchral monuments, both of honor and infamy (Gen. xxxv. 20; Josh. vii. 26); as records of victories and exploits; in remembrance of special mercies and events; as witnesses of contracts and covenants (Gen. xxxi. 51, 52); or as attestations of faithfulness; those known in North Wales by the name of “men pillars;" those set up for boundaries, land marks, or way marks (Jer. xxxi. 31); called in England hoar-stones, or by some dialectic name, such as harestones, war-stones, wor-stones, hoorstones, her-stones, etc.; together with the March-stones, held sacred by the Romans; had all, without doubt, their real origin in the correspondence of The pyramids of Egypt, India, and stones, though so early used for idolMexico, the Druidical remains of atrous and impious purposes. - See Stonehenge, and at a distance of twenty Grose's Antiq., vol. i., p. 135; Pinkermiles from them, those of Abury in ton's Collect, part x., p. 261; Smith's Wiltshire, Stanton Drew, or the stone Michaelis, vol. iii., p. 374; Hulbert's Retown of the Druids in Somersetshire,ligions of Britain, p. 22; Weaver's Mon.

For many of the foregoing extracts I am greatly indebted to a series of able and excellent papers on Druidism, by T. W., in the 1st vol. of the AngloAmerican New Church Repository, to which I refer the reader. See also Toland's Hist. of the Druids; Williams's Druopædia; Davies's Celtic Researches, and Mythology of the British Druids; Hulbert's Religion of Britain; Roberts's Hist. of the Isle of Man; Bowlaise's Hist. of Cornwall; Rose's Tech. Anglic.; Weaver's Mon. Ant.; Identity of the Religions called Druidical and Hebrew; and James's Manual of British Druidism.

Ant.; Hamper's Observations on Pillars of Memorial; Dr. A. Clarke, in loc.; Camden's Britannia; Stukeley's Stonehenge; and Wright's Celt. Rom. and Sax. Ant.

years afterwards, Joshua pitched twelve stones in Gilgal, as a memorial of the passage of the Israelites through Jordan, which, in after ages, became a place of idolatrous worship. Gilgal means, in English, a circle. When the covenant was ratified between Laban and Jacob (Gen. xxxi. 44-49), Jacob set up a stone as a pillar of witness, and commanded his brethren to gather stones, and "make a heap," and they did eat thereon. Laban called it Jegar sahadutha, which is a pure Chaldee word; but

Hebrew word of the same meaning, translated by Calmet, "the circle of witness," and by Dr. Oliver and Dr. A. Clarke, "heap or round heap of witness." Camden informs us that it is the custom, "in several places, to cast heaps of stones on the graves of malefactors and self-murderers;" thence he supposes it was that "the worst of traitors were called Karn-hhadron," a carn thief (Josh. viii. 29; 2 Sam. xvii.).

Stonehenge, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "hanging-stones," and built of hewn stones, arranged in triliths, the most stupendous remains of Druid worship, the grand national temple, was doubtless, at first, representative, in all its arrangements and particulars, though that worship was soon afterwards greatly corrupted, and the knowl-Jacob called it Galeed, which is a pure edge of representatives became lost in superstition and idolatry. With the serpentine temple at Abury, it appears to have combined the adoration of the sun, moon, and stars, and the worship of the serpent. In all probability, their religious maxims, rites, and ceremonies, which also comprehended their laws and customs, were derived from the Phœnicians, and originated in Heliopolis, called in the Word, ON (Gen. xli. 45; xlvi. 20). Stonehenge was called by the ancient Britons Choir Ghaur, that | is great church. Others have considered it to mean “The circular plan of assembly." This and the other Druid circles or ovals were used not only as places for worship, sacrifices, and augury; for the celebration of festivals and other Druidical rites; but is also supposed that they were used for forums; for the inauguration of priests and kings; for the use of general assemblies; for the meeting of councils, local and national; for the promulgation of laws; and for elections and as seats of judgment. In Gaelic they are denominated clactans, which means "places of worship." Dr. Jamieson, in his Historical account of the Culdees, says, "that at this day, 'going to and from church,' and 'going to and from the stones,' are phrases used synonymously” (b. 25). Moses erected twelve pillars of stones at the foot of Mount Sinai; and, about forty

The term cromleh has been derived from the Amoric word crum, crooked or bowing, and leh, stone, in supposed allusion to the reverence which persons paid to them by bowing. Toland says that cromleh means a bowing-stone; but Rowland derives the name from the Hebrew words signifying "a devoted or consecrated stone." "It was usual," remarks Bryant, “among the Egyptians, to place with much labor one vast stone upon another, for a religious memorial. The stones they thus placed, they sometimes poised so equally, that they were affected with the least external force; nay, a breath of wind would sometimes make them vibrate."-Anal. Mythol., vol. iii., in Moore, p. 30. These rockingstones and rock basins, as the CheseWring, in Cornwall, etc., which were formerly regarded as Druidical, are now concluded by geologists not to be artificial, but the result of natural causes;

they nevertheless received superstitious redeemed and happy one. Now this veneration.

The Druid religion is equally applicable to Gaul. It was unlawful to commit their maxims, doctrines, and mysteries, to writing. At the time of Julius Cæsar's invasion of Britain, he found the Druid religion most corrupt and idolatrous, and mixed with Pagan my thology. They offered human sacrifices; though modern discoveries have made it extremely likely that the custom was far from ancient. Many of their traditions, maxims, and doctrines, as recorded by various ancient writers, point to a much higher state of civilization and philosophy than we find recorded by the Roman emperor, and it is difficult to reconcile their existence, much less their origin, to so low and degraded a condition.

Enough has been said to show the true origin not only of their doctrines, but also of those records, which for ages to come will show that the science of correspondences was once widely diffused, and we can trace the operations of Divine Providence in preserving these memorials, which throw, when rightly viewed, so powerful a light on the Holy Word.

XVII. THE

PYTHAGOREAN DOC

TRINE OF METEMPSYCHOSIS.

doctrine was taught very earnestly by Pythagoras; a man whom we can sneer at only when we can forget the vast influence he exerted in his own day and through such men as Plato ever since, and the golden truths still discernible in the fragmentary remnants of his doctrines, and the fact that the system of the universe established by Copernicus was but a revival of his own, and the many other indications of the extent and accuracy of his knowledge. How, then, could he have taught such a folly? But are we sure that it was all folly, that it contains no certain, no valuable truth? Let us ask if the science of correspondence can explain it. Man, the microcosm, or little world, as Pythagoras and Plato and so many of the ancients called him, represents the universe. Thus, all animals that ever were or can exist, live by virtue of the fact that they severally represent some of the elements, faculties, or qualities of the human character. Goodness does not consist so much in the absence of any of these, as in the presence of all and their due subordination, and their harmonious performance of their several functions.

"[When] a man begins to reform [his character, he] is penetrated with a profound sense of evil. He becomes aware, perhaps, that he is lost and "The doctrine of metempsychosis, buried in foul and gross gluttony, and or transmigration, is found almost every-in his remorse he feels that he is not a where. In Greece, and Rome, and man, that sin has transformed him, that Egypt, and the East, it is seen, and in he is no better than a hog! He says forms more or less disguised, traces of with the Psalmist, 'I am as a beast beit are discernible in nearly all the re- fore thee!' And he repents and reforms ligions of which we know anything dis- and casts this sin away. Then he distinctly. Differing somewhat in detail, covers that his ferocity makes him a it was always substantially as follows. tiger, and the same process again reHe who is not good, passes at death lieves him; and then it may be he sees into the form of some kindred animal, in himself the cunning of the fox, or and thence into another and another, other and yet other faults which disuntil the circle of expiation being com- figure and conceal his human nature. pleted, he becomes again a man, and a So he goes on, until humility, self-ac

"No doubt was ever entertained that the Pythagorean doctrine was purely Egyptian. Pythagoras was initiated in their mysteries, and is reported to have been the disciple of Souchedes, an Egyptian chief, prophet, or highpriest."-Clem. Stromata., lib. i., cited by Pritchard.

knowledgment, repentance, and reform, | an inner law may be heard. So, too, have cast out the devils and restored there are applications of the science of him to the power, the consciousness, correspondences to the ancient classical and the happiness of manhood. Now, mythology, which often makes it sigwe know that Pythagoras had an inner nificant. Sysiphus and Tantalus, and and secret doctrine never published, the like, are no longer the wild and and taught only in private to the initi- meaningless creations of fantasy, and ated under the most solemn obligation we can understand their permanence, of secresy. Is it too much to suppose and charm, and power, amid the beauthat these two doctrines, the inner and tiful cultivation of the Greek mind. the outer, had some relation to each Pegasus, the winged horse, again alights other? What would he have gained by upon Helicon, and opens a new Hippoteaching the doctrine as we have stated crene, and again Minerva tames his it above, to the gross and grovelling fire, and gives him to the warrior who world about him? What better thing is called to do battle with the monster could he do than to teach them the same Chimera."-Parsons Essays, Am. ed., truth in the lower form of the metem- pp. 91-96. psychosis, as he gave it to the public? It is to be noticed that this doctrine, in its lower and grosser form, is adapted to do for the lower and grosser classes of minds, the very same good which the same doctrine in its higher form is able to confer upon minds in a condition to receive it and be subject to its influence. They who would not resist "In the ancient dialect of Astronogluttony, or ferocity, or low cunning, my, the earth was said to enter succesbecause they disfigured their spiritual sively into the constellations of the humanity, might do so, if they were ram, the bull, the goat, etc., and thus persuaded that they must expiate these to pass from one animal into another, sins in the bestial forms and life of the until she had gone through all the hog, the tiger, and the fox. In this signs of the zodiac. Now, as deceased lower form, its influence upon minds to souls remain for some time in the which it was then fitted, would elevate sphere of the earth, thus travelling the those which were capable of improve- constellations, they were said, in a lanment into a capacity of hearing and guage that has been completely misunprofiting by the higher. This would derstood, to transmigrate into animals, be in exact conformity with the law particularly into such as predominated which prevails over the relation between at the time of their decease."-See internal and external truth. On simi- Abbe Pluche's Hist. of the Heav., vol. i., lar grounds, I account for the universal prevalence of the doctrine of metempsychosis, which Pythagoras himself derived from Egypt. Apply this law to the Bible, and we shall come to this result, that observance of the precepts of the literal sense is precisely the way in which we may be elevated into the purer atmosphere, where the voice of Plato, asserting that his doctrine of

p. 242.

Plato asserted, like the Brahmins of the present day, not only the transmigration of men and beasts, but even vegetables; and the fire-philosophers of the sixteenth century gave credit to the same doctrine. "Both Ficinus and Darwin ascribe materialism to