192
ST. CLEER.
"We had a very fine day for our excursion; the sun being clouded, it was not over warm; and there was but little wind: had there been more wind, we should not have been able to ascend some of the places we did, particularly the last. The air was somewhat hazy over the North and South seas, which was the only thing we had to regret.
"A finer situation for Druidical[1] residence, rites, and
- ↑ 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 iuclosures 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
