5

NOTES. 313
ceptioD, mtitUated and injured. I have examined above fifty
Druidical temples, but never found one of them in all respects
iatire. This is easy to be accounted for. The temples being
dedicated to the purposes of religion, fell a sacrifice to the per.
scenting fury of the Romans, and the blind zeal of christians.
In the south of Scotland, where the religious circles are denomi.
nated Kills or Temples, the judicial circles are denominated
Girths.
These Girths are numerous, such as Auld Girth, Apple
Girth, Tunder Girth, Girthon, Girthhead, &c. &c.
In the Hebrides
these Girths are still
more numerous, and the tradition
respecting them is, that people resorted to them for justice, and
that they served nearly the same purpose among the Celts,
that
the cities of refuge did among the Jews. In all stages of society,
but more so in a savage state, man is prone to avenge his own
wrongs ; and -we cannot sufficiently admire the address of the
Druids, who appointed these Girths, or judicial circles, in the
vicinity of their temples, where their
transcendant power was
sufficient to protect the injured, and check, or overawe the most
daring and powerful.
Dr. Smith, in his History of the Druids, says the Highlanders
call the rocking stones Clacha Breath—i. e. the stones of judgment.
But this must be a mistake j for as no two ror^king
U'
stones are ever found together, the Highlanders would not apply
the plural Clacha (stohes) to a single stone;
but as the rocking
Etones formed an appendage to the Clacha Breath, or judicial
circles, it is not improbable that the Highlanders may have in.
eluded both under this general denomination.
In the parish of Coull there is a judicial circle,
which the
writer of the statistical account terms Tamnavrie, and translates
the hill of worship. This is another striking instance of the
folly and absurdity of reckoning all the Druidical circles places
of worship. The writer thought he could not err in rendering
this circle the hill of worship, because all Druidical circles were,
according to the common opinion, places of worship. But the
fact is, the real name is Tom.na-vray, being the common prouneiation
of Ihc Gaelic Tom-na-Dhrailh, which signifies tjjehill