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330 NOTES.
so, how have we their houses, their graves, &c. still bearing
their names ?
Note LX.—Page 155.
Soilf one of the ancient names ofthe sun.
Soil,itt the Gaelic,
signifies clearness, and Soilleir clear. The former is the radix
of the Latin Sol, and the latter of the Scottish Siller, now writ,
ten Silver.
It is generally allowed that the Sanscrit is the basis
of all the languages of the East; and the same may be said of
the Celtic with regard to the languages of the West.
There are
many words in the Greek and Roman langnages which can ad.
mit of no satisfactory analysis, except iu the Gaelic language,
and Sol is one of them. Cicero derives Sol (lib. 5. rfe Kat.
Dear.) from Solus, because there is but one sun and no more.
By the same parity of reasoning, the moon, and every individual
Star, have an equal claim to the name, because there is one of
each, and no more.
But how beantifally appropriate is the derivation
of the Roman Sol from the Gaelic Soil, which signifies
clearness or light, an attribute of the sun in all
all languages.
nations and in
Note LXf.—Page 156.
The Gauls, contrary to the aistom of the Romans^ ^c—The
Romans, in augury, or their
religious ceremonies, turned their
face to the south, their left hand to the east, and their right to
the west.
The Celts, on the contrary, turned their face to tha
north, their right hand to the east, and their left to the west.
By this difference of position, the left hand of the Romans cor.
responded to the right of the Celts. It was, however, in both
cases, the band which pointed to the east that was the ominous
one.
Note LXII.— Page 157.
Arthur's Oven.—From the similarity of this edifice to others,
which still bear the name of Druids' Houses, we have every
reason to conclude, with Mr. Toland, that it is of the same