Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 25 



of his own fancy. I proceed, therefore, to his sixth volume, in which we are 

 presented with a second Essay on the Irish Round Towers, and from this I shall 

 extract whatever passages I can find directly bearing on the question. He com- 

 mences as follows: 



" From my first knowledge of Irish history, and of the mythology of the pagan Irish, I did con- 

 ceive, that these towers were erected to contain the sacred fire, and I have had no reason to alter 

 my opinion. From that history it appeared evident, that, as in ancient Persia, so, in ancient Ire- 

 land, there were two sects of fire worshippers ; one, that lighted the fires on the tops of mountains 

 and hills, and others in towers ; an innovation said to be brought about by MogJi Nuadhat, or the 

 Magus of the new law, otherwise called Airgiod-lamh, or golden hand, who was the Zerdost or gold 

 hand of the Persians, who is said to have lost his life by a Touranian Scythian, in a tumult raised 

 by this innovation ; so Mogh Nuadhat had his hand cut off in the struggle, but one of the Tualha- 

 dadan colony, or Chaldaean magi, supplied the loss with a silver or golden hand. 



" These towers were evidently named by the Chaldeans ]Vi5S aphriun, i. e. templum, a name 

 that exists at this day in Irish for the house of prayer or benediction, viz. Ti aifrion, a mass-house ; 

 Ar. ^ji! afrian, P. aferin, praise, glory, benediction, blessing. In Cantico Canticorum, tytpiti 

 sibi fecit Salomon, i. e. ]V~I2S aphriun sibi fecit Salomon. (Aldrete Antig. de Espana, p. 203.) By the 

 ancient Hindoos they were named Coill, whence the Gill and Ceall of the Irish, of which hereafter. 



" The pagan Irish worshipped Crom cruait, the same God Soraster adored, in fire, first on 

 mountains, then in caves, and lastly in towers : this fire worship, says Irish history, was introduced 

 by a certain draoi, named Midhghe, a corruption of Magiusch, which in Persian signifies, nailed by 

 the ears, not cropt eared, as some have imagined, but the Zoroastrians changed it to Megiusch or 

 Magiusch. 



" ' The Brahmins kept a portion of the sacred fire constantly and fervently glowing in caves, con- 

 tinually ascending in pure bright pyramidal flame, fed with the richest gums ; this was prior to the 

 Pyrsia, or fire temples, which were always round, and owed their origin, according to the Magi, to 

 the zeal of Zoroaster.' (Maurice. Ind. Ant., V. II. p. 279.) 



" This pyramidal flame seems to have given the idea of the round towers, which were conical, 

 and ended in a point at top, both in Hindoostan and in Ireland, as we shall shew hereafter. 



" The tower of Ireland, dedicated to Brigit, a saint, who took on her the heathen name, is one 

 of the highest in the kingdom Brigit ingkean Daghda, bandea, agus ro mor an afrihnam, i. e. 

 Brigit, daughter of Daghda or Apollo (the Daghda-rath of the Brahmins) a goddess, and very great 

 was her Aifrion tower, or house of benediction. (Cormac.) 



" Zerdhusht extruxit domicilia ignis, et fecit ea cum cupola excelsa, et ignem gladio non fodi- 

 endum. (Bundari, an Arabian.)" Vol. vi. pp. 121 123. 



" ' The Persians, says Prideaux, first made the holy fires on the tops of hills, but Zoroastres, 

 finding that these sacred fires in the open air, were often extinguished by rain, tempests and storms, 

 directed that fire towers should be built, that the sacred fires might the better be preserved.' 



" We find these towers still exist in Caucasus, the first settlement of our Ara-coti, parti- 

 VOL. XX. E 



