5

OF THE DRUIDS. 153
bald, has discover'd in the appendix to his History
of Fife and Kinross. That gentleman speaking
of the rocking-stone near Balvaird (or the bards
town) " I am inform'd," says he, " that this stone
was broken by the usurper (Cromwel's) soldiers;
and it was discover'd then, that its motion was
performed by a yolk extuberant in the middle of
the under-surface of the upper stone, which was
inserted in a cavity in the surface of the lower
stone." To- which let me add, that as the lower
stone was flat, so the upper stone was globular;
and that not onely a just proportion in the motion,
was calculated from the weight of the stone,
and the wideness of the cavity, as well as the oval
figure of the inserted prominence; but that the
vast bulk of the upper stone did absolutely conceal
the mechanism of the motion ; and the better
still to impose, there were two or three surrounding
flat stones, tho' that onely in the middle was
concern'd in the feat. By this pretended miracle
they condemn'd of perjury, or acquitted, as their
interest or their affection led them; and often
brought criminals to
other way extorted from them.
confess, what could be no
So prevalent i^
the horror of superstition in some cases, Avhich led
many people to fancy (and among them the otherwise
most judicious Strabo) that it might be a
useful cheat to society; not considering, that in
other cases (incomparably more numerous and
important) it is most detrimental, pernicious, and
T