204 



and Persia, as well as of Egypt, narrow at top and wide at 

 bottom. 



The above sketch presents but a few instances of analogy with 

 our towers, but these are of great weight. Some of the last men- 

 tioned clearly indicate as well the existence of fire-worship, as the 

 employment in that worship of both towers and fire-houses. It 

 seems, therefore, a reasonable inference, that such was also the 

 purpose of the mysterious Irish towers. There can be no doubt 

 that our ancestors worshipped not only the sun, but also fire, the 

 emblem of its heat and brilliancy, and the pillar, or obelisk, as one 

 of the divine rays of the sun. And it may be safely assumed, that 

 most of our ruder antiquities, appertaining to the remote ages, are 

 remnants of that worship. At a very early period that worship pre- 

 vailed in the East, and had been spread from thence, by the di^ 

 ferent Scythian waves of emigrant wanderers, over a large portion 

 of the world, including great part of Europe, and extending to 

 Ireland. In Persia the adoration of the sun and of his emblem fire, 

 continued pure and free from mixture with any other superstition to 

 a later dale than among surrounding nations. It was thought, in 

 the first ages, impious to suppose the divine essence could be con- 

 fined within a temple built by men, and therefore the sacred fire 

 was kept in open temples, such as Stonehenge. But Zoroaster, 

 who in the reign of Guslitasp, the Darius Hystaspes of the Greeks, 

 was the Archimagus and reformer of Persia, introduced the inno- 

 vation of temples for the preservation of the sacred flame. This 

 improvement, it may easily be imagined, extended itself to coun- 

 tries of kindred faitli. Thus the worship was first performed at the 

 cromleac or altar, or within the circle of stones, which constituted 

 the earlist open temple ; in later times at the covered fire-temple, or 

 round tower. 



