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

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NOTES. 331kind. There is z.fac simile <strong>of</strong> it at Penmcuick. It is stranseany one should have imagined it to be Roman ; and equally so,that it should have received <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> Artkur^s Ocen, It isin no one circumstance, agreeable to Roman architecture, whilewe can adduce many similar buildings in <strong>the</strong> Hebrides, to which<strong>the</strong> Romans never penetrated. Several <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se edifices (seePennant's tour) are also found in Argyllshire. There are alsomany <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m in Ireland. If this building was erected by <strong>the</strong>Romans to <strong>the</strong>ir god Terminus^ it must follow that all <strong>the</strong> edificessimilar to it in shape and architecture, were similar temples,and hence it must also follow that <strong>the</strong>y erected temples in Ireland,&c. to which <strong>the</strong>y never had access. Under every view<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> matter, and from every circumstance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> case, <strong>the</strong> Celtshave an unquestionable title to Arthur^ s Oven, As to <strong>the</strong> name,it isproper to remark, that many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gaelic names havebeeamistaken for Latin ones, and not a few <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m for English.Buchanan mistook <strong>the</strong> Gaelic DiirCna Bais^ i. e. <strong>the</strong> hills <strong>of</strong>death, for <strong>the</strong> Roman Duni Pads, i. e. <strong>the</strong> hills <strong>of</strong> peace. FenPunt, i. e. <strong>the</strong> weighing hill, has been mistaken for <strong>the</strong> Romanpene ponius, i. e. almost sea, though <strong>the</strong> hill in question is fifteenmiles distant from any sea, and more than three thousand feetabove its level. Arthur's Oven is a memorable instance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>same kind. It is merely a corruption <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gaelic ArdMir.ahhma'tn (pronounced arturavhi), and signifying <strong>the</strong> high tozoer on<strong>the</strong> river. Perhaps Arthur'' s Seat owes its name to a mistake <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> same kind. It was indeed very natural for any one, unacquaintedwith <strong>the</strong> Gaelic language, to mistake arturavin forArthur's Oven.Note LXIIII.—Page 160.I shall conclude this letter with two examples, Sfc.—The first<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se is a tessillated causey on <strong>the</strong> mainland <strong>of</strong> Orkney, and<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> remarkable Dwarfif stone in <strong>the</strong> island <strong>of</strong> Hoy»Mr. Toland, with a modesty highly creditable to him, does notclaim <strong>the</strong>m as Druidical, but confesses candidly that <strong>the</strong>y donot pertain, as far as he knows, to <strong>the</strong> subject he is treating <strong>of</strong>.

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