5

32(5 NOTEiS.
county. Borlase, in his Antiquities of Cornwall, mentions a
rocking-stone, in the parish of Constantine, weighing about
750 tons, being 97 feet in circumference, and 60 across the
middle. It were easy to add to the above a numerous list, but
this is unnecessary, as no antiquarian has denied the existence
of such stones. The only point of difference has been the use to
Tvhich they were applied.
Mason, in the above quoted passage, has informed us that they
were used as ordeals to try the guilt or innocence of criminals,
and this is the prevalent opinion respecting them. They may
have, however, served some other subordinate purposes, and
from their mobility, as well as their spherical shape, were well
calculated for elucidating the motion of the earth, and other
heavenly bodies. Caesar (lib. 6. cap. 14.) says, " they (the
Druids) teach their pupils many things concerning (he stars and
their motions, concerning the size of the world and its different
parts," &c. Now, as the Druids were, on all hands, allowed
to be well versed in astronomy and geography, it is natural to
suppose they would avail themselves of artificial aids in com.
municating their philosophy to their disciples. Of all the
Druidical monuments which have reached the present day, none
\ia.s so well calculated as the rocking-stone to supply the want
of our modern terrestrial and celestial globes. The rocking,
stone was, in fact, the world in miniature, and possessed the
motion, as well as the shape, of our modern globes. Indeed,
all the Druidical monuments appear to have had some astronomi.
cal reference.
No sooner do we enter a Druidical temple, aud
see the huge central obelisk surrounded by a circle of erect
stones, than we are immediately struck with the idea of a sun.
dial, or the sun placed in the centre, and the planets revolving
around him.
Mr. Pinkarton, (vol. 1. p. 410.) with his usual Gothic con.
sistency, tells us that these stones are a lusus naluree, a sportive
production of nature. Now, nature, it is well known, has exercised
none of these sports in any of the Gothic countries, and
,jt is rather singular, that these sportive productions arc confined