5

NOTES. 311
made use of by the Druids in their judicial capacity, and Kilbar.
chart, with the transposition of the letter r, rendered Kilbrathan
or Kilbrachan, would signify the circle of judgment. The pa.
risb of Kilmorach still contains many Druidical circles.
Killar.
lity also contains a few Druidical circles. In the parish of
Kiltearn is an oval or elliptical temple bearing a striking resem.
blaoce to Stonehenge, though on a smaller scale.
may add the parish of K«//}
about 10 ton weight still remains.
To this list I
in Gallowaywhere a rocking stone
In Ireland these Kills are also numerous, as Yiiikenmj, Kii.
leamey, Kildare, ^c. This last literally signifies, the temple of
rove.
In Wkles these temples are generally known by the
name of Kerig.y.Dri/dion—i. e. " the stones of the Druids," or
Maen Amber— i, e. the Holy Stones, These temples are nume.
rous OTer all the Celtic districts ; and such is their peculiarity,
that he who has seen one, may form a correct idea of the whole.
Th« reader may think I
hare been unnecessarily minute in
proving these circles of stones to be Druidical temples, but it
was necessary, as Mr. Pinkarton has denied that there was ever
a Druid in North Britain or Ireland. But if we find the very
same monuments in both these kingdoms, which we find in Gaul
and Wal«s, countries confessedly Druidical, it is impossible to
ascribe them to any other than the Druids.
Indeed Pinkarton
himself (vol. 1. p. 415.) i« reluctantly obliged to admit, that
some of these circles might be temples of small deities; and' as
this is all I am contending for, it is unnecessary to enlarge farther
on this head.
In a philological point of view, it may, however,
be necessary to point out the great affinity betwixt the
Gaelic Ceal or Cil, and the Hebrew Chil.
Reland defines Chil
to be Proteichisma, or Spatium antimurale, occupying the space
betwixt the mount of the temple and the court of the women.
He also states that neither the Gentiles, nor those polluted by tb«
dead, entered this Chil.
Lightfoot gives nearly the same defini.
tion, adding that Chil was ten cubits broad, divided from the
court of the
Gentiles by a fence ten hand.breadths in height.
Chil was that space within the court «f the Gentiles, which imme*
R r2