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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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OF THE DRUIDS. 185polite Romans? which Casauboii, I will not sayhow truely, thinks was deriv'd from <strong>the</strong>se veryravens*.If Strabo had said, that <strong>the</strong> divinationitself was superstitious and vain, or that it wasridiculous to imagin <strong>the</strong>ravens cou'd discern <strong>the</strong>cake <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> guilty from that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> innocent (tho<strong>the</strong>y might greedily eat one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m when hungry,and wantonly sport with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r when <strong>the</strong>ir bellieswere full) no man <strong>of</strong>judgement wou'd contradiet liim. As for ravens having some white inllieir wings, it contains nothing fabulous, I myselfhaving seen such, and no ornithologistsomitting<strong>the</strong>m. I will own, indeed, that so uncommon athing as wliite in <strong>the</strong> wing <strong>of</strong> a raven, and for acouple <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ni tohold a place so cunningly to<strong>the</strong>mselves, was enough to work upon <strong>the</strong> superstitiousfimcies <strong>of</strong> ignorant people, who laid suchstressabove all nations upon augury; so that inthis whole story <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two ravens, nothing appearsto me ei<strong>the</strong>r fabulous or wonderful. Nay, 1 ampersuaded Artemidorus was in <strong>the</strong> right, <strong>the</strong>rebeing exam])lcs at this time <strong>of</strong> ravens thus securinga place to tiiemselves; and <strong>the</strong> lirst I shall give is,for ouglit any body knows, <strong>the</strong> very place hintedby Artemidorus.Dr. Martin, in his Description<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lies <strong>of</strong> Scotland, discoursing <strong>of</strong> Bernera(which is five miles in circumference, and hesabout two leagues to <strong>the</strong> south <strong>of</strong> Harries) " in* In Annotatione ad hunc Strabonis locum.

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