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

OF THE DRUIDS. 207SO cali'd, says that* "he hid it among the Hyperboreans,where there is his temple made of wings,or a winged temple," the words being capable ofboth senses. If the latter was the meaning ofEratosthenes, we have already given tlie descriptionof such a winged temple, yet standing there:and if the former, no place under heaven cou'dfurnish more feathers, nor of more various kinds,to adorn men or buildings, than those same ilands;where many of the inhabitants pay their rent withthem, aud make a considerable profit besides.For this reason perhaps, and not from its promontories,the He of Skie is in the language of thenatives cali'd Scianach'\, or the wdnged iland,whereof the English name Skie is an abbreviationor corruption. Now, if the Hebrides were theHyperboreans of Diodorus (as I fancy it can.scarce hereafter be doubted) thenthe most celebratedAbaris was both of that country and likewisea Druid, having been the'j: priest of Apollo,Suidas, who knew not the distinction of insularHyperboreans, makes him a Scythian; as do someothers misled by the same vulgar error, tho' Diodorushas truly fix'd his country in the iland, not» ExpKvf-s 5's avti [to tj^uov] £v t;7rEp(3«pEJotf, *i» y.a.i o v«oc o itrtfmq In Catosterismis,inter Opuscula Mtjtholosica ct Physka, Edit. Amst. pag. 124.f Oilean Sciathanach.% To [xiv yoLf on rev jwnpov ;s^pu5-oi;v iVih'.^vj ABapih rot ^YTTSp^opew, Bixcta-avri avrovATfoWvm eivai ro» Ev 'TTrep^wpEO/f , ovirBp nv »ep£uf o A/!?apt?, ^ei^atovra oig rovro aX>30cCTs9pi;X\>iTrt , Porphyrins in vita Pythagor