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A new edition of Toland's History of the druids: - Free History Ebooks

A new edition of Toland's History of the druids: - Free History Ebooks

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184 THE HISTORYbe on <strong>the</strong> coast <strong>of</strong> Spain, or <strong>of</strong> France, in <strong>the</strong>Erittish ilands, or on any <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn shores.It is onely to be discovered ei<strong>the</strong>r by matter <strong>of</strong>fact, or by probable circumstances: as tliis Gigonianstone (for example) was necessarily in some <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> Celtic or British territories, whose Druids aloneset up such stones. So were <strong>the</strong> birds, where<strong>of</strong> Iam now going to speak. What *' Artemidorus hasdeliverd concerning <strong>the</strong> ravens (says Strabo*)sounds very much like a fable. He tells us, that<strong>the</strong>re is a certain lake near <strong>the</strong> ocean, which iscall'd <strong>the</strong> lake <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two ravens, because tworavens appear in it, which have some white in<strong>the</strong>ir wing:that such as have any controversy toge<strong>the</strong>rcame thi<strong>the</strong>r to an elevated place, where<strong>the</strong>y set a table, each laying on a cake separatelyfor himself: and that those birds flying thi<strong>the</strong>r,eat <strong>the</strong> one while <strong>the</strong>y scatter <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r about; sothat he, wliose cake is thus scattered, gets <strong>the</strong> better<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dispute. Such fables does he relate!"But I wou'd ask Strabo, what is <strong>the</strong>re fabulous inall this? or why shou'd <strong>the</strong> rude Gauls and Britons,being iniluenc'd by <strong>the</strong> eathig or not eating <strong>of</strong> ravens,be tliouglit more strange or fabulous, thau<strong>the</strong> tnpniUum soUstimam <strong>of</strong> chickens among <strong>the</strong>AifJ^tya y«p riyu rr? Tra^untunU^O? iz Ju'po E4>' v\r:KOv -rontov, ^«Vf^« estTft?, £7r.(?«XXf.T 4-«c««poy -/«.p: : Tovf ->'().«'? i^iTTTavTaf ^a fxiy icre.nyM^ ^xopTr.^i.y ov r «v rxj-;

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