Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

DUtMDS.
•257
from limb. Tills may rank with the voyages of Sindbad ;
and if Keysler or Borlase are satisfied with the evidence
which it affords, it can only be said that they are not very
difficult to please.
The political powers and privileges of the Druids
form the next point in their history which requires to be
examined. Beginning with Csesar, once more, we find
that they Avere a judicial body, " De omnibus controversiis
publicis privatisque constituunt"— " decernunt"—
" preemia pcenasque constituunt." I need not add to
this testimony ;
but may repeat, from the same authority,
those political privileges which they were dexterous
enough to combine with their religious and political
powers. " Druidse a bello abesse consueverunt, neque
tributa una cum aliis pendunt : militise vacationem, omniumque
rerum immunitatem habent." With this exemp-
tion from military service and taxation, they combined
the education of youth. " Ad hos magnus adolescentium
numerus disciplinte causa concurrit, magnoque apud eos
sunt honore."
With respect to the nature of their information, and
of these studies, we are left very much to our own con-
jectures. It appears from Caesar that they had a system
of cosmogony, and studied some kind of astronomy,
though the nature of these is not explained. They
inquired however, " de mundi et terrarum magnitudine
et rerum natura." They also paid attention to the pro-
perties of plants ;
probably pursuing that magical medi-
cine which seems to have been the original medical sci-
ence of all rude people. Pomponius Mela speaks in the
same manner; and Pliny also notices their acquirements
in magic and medicine. The system of education was
operose ; since Csesar says it sometimes extended to
twenty years, and that the pupils were obliged to learn
a great number of verses by heart. It was also held un-
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