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NOTES. 329Celtic or Highland monuments. So far Hercules acted like aIiero and a gentleman. But Apoilonius and Plnkarton have oufragedhumanity, and grated every string of paternal feeling, bystationing the poor old gentleman, Mr. North fVmd^ to blowthis rocking stone, and keep it always tottering on the grave ofhis beloved sons. Hear their own words— " He slew them onsea surrounded Tenos, and raised a hillock about them, andplaced two stones on the top, of which one (the admiration ofmen) moves to the sonorous breath of the North Wi?2d.^^Theywould have acted much more consistently, had they made thiisvenerable highland gentleman exert his sonorous breath to blowHercules out of existence, in revenge for the death of his two sons.But, to be serious, I have no objection, forargument's sake,to admit that this fabulous instance was a real one; still a solitarydetached instance of the perversion of any thing proves nothing.The Haf/s of Errol defeated the Danes with their oxenyokes—Pompey's funeral pilewas a boat—and many of ourearly churches are now devoted to the humble purpose of holdingcattle ; but will any man in his senses thence infer, that oxenyokes were formed formilitary weapons, that boats were builtfor funeral piles, or churches for cattle folds.But these rockingstones were in fact Ordeals.The uniform tradition of theCeltic countries points them out as such, and Straho himself Isof the same opinion, when he thinks (asremarked by Mr. Toland,p. 153.) that these stones might be an useful cheat to society.The testimony of Strabo in this case is positive and decisive,and Mr. Pinkarton's Gothic hypothesis must fallto theground.Note LIX.—Page 154.Druids* houses, ^c.—These Druids' houses are no vain fiction.Pennant, and several others, have taken notice of them. Mr,Toland has, on this head, been pretty full ; and it only remainsfor me to point out the absurdity of the opinion of those whoasbert that there never was a Druid in Scotland or Ireland. If