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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. 81lege <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Irish language and books, <strong>the</strong> Gallicantiquities, not meaning <strong>the</strong> Francic, can never beset in any tolerable light, with regard ei<strong>the</strong>r to wordsor to things ; and numerous occasions <strong>the</strong>re will occurin this <strong>History</strong> <strong>of</strong> illustrating both words andthings even in <strong>the</strong> Greec and Roman authors.shall here give one example <strong>of</strong> this, since I justcome from treating <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> several pr<strong>of</strong>essors <strong>of</strong>learning common to <strong>the</strong> antient Gauls, Britons,and Scots, viz. <strong>the</strong> Druids, Bards, and Vaids.Lucian* relates that in Gaule he saw Herculesrepresented as a little old man, whom in <strong>the</strong> language<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country <strong>the</strong>y calFd Oginius; drawingafter him aninfmite multitude <strong>of</strong> persons, whoseem'd most willing to follow, tho' drag'd by extremeline and almost imperceptible chains : whichwere fasten'd at <strong>the</strong> one end to <strong>the</strong>ir ears, and heldat <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, not in ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> Hercules's hands, whichwere both o<strong>the</strong>rwise imploy'd; but ty'd to <strong>the</strong> tip<strong>of</strong> his tongue, in whicli <strong>the</strong>re was a hole on purpose,where all those chains centi-'d. Lucian wonderingat this manner <strong>of</strong> poi'traying Hercules, wasinform'd by a learned Druid who stood by, thatHercules did not in Gaul, as in Greece, betokenstrength <strong>of</strong>hody, but \\\^force <strong>of</strong> eloqiteiice; whichis <strong>the</strong>re very beautifully display 'd by <strong>the</strong> Druid,ui his explication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> picture that hung in <strong>the</strong>I* Tov 'EpaxAsa o; KsXto; OFMION Qwy-x^ovci 4)wv>: irn S7:ix^f,i'j/, et quae seqmujturin Hercule Gallico ; Gr^ca etcnini longiora santj quani ut bic co7u=mode iaseri possint.K

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