6 THE CHEESEWRING, 



20 feet high, and more (for so high are some of our 

 rock-basins) without any easier access than climbing 

 from rock to rock, are no where to be found. If 

 they were designed for a whole burnt sacrifice, how 

 should the victim, or the necessary fuel^ without 

 great labour be drawn up to the top of the altar ? 

 How should the fire be properly attended, nourished, 

 and continued in so high a situation as that of the 

 mountainous rock at Karn-bre ? To what purpose 

 the small basins round that capacious urn, which 

 stood on the top of this rock, of three feet diameter, 

 and one foot deep, beforementioned/' 



The Druids used the rite of water lustration and 

 excavated these basins for the purpose of collecting 

 rain or snow water which is evinced by their shape^ 

 direction, situation and number. 



*^ From these basins perhaps, on solemn occasions, 

 the officiating Druid, standing on an eminence, sanc- 

 tified the congregation with a more than ordinarily 

 precious lustration, before he expounded to them, or 

 prayed for them, or gave forth his decisions. This 

 water he drank, or purified his hands in, before it 

 touched any other vessel, and was consequently 

 accounted more sacred than the other holy-water. 

 To these more private basins, during the time of 

 libation, the Priest might have recourse, and be at 

 liberty to judge by the quantity, colour, motion, and 

 other appearances in the water, of future events, of 

 dubious cases, without danger of contradiction from 

 the people below. This water might serve to mix 

 their misletoe withall, as a general antidote; for 

 doubtless those who would not let it touch the ground, 

 would not mix this their divinity (the misletoe), with 

 common water. Oak leaves (without which the 

 Druid rites did scarce ever proceed) ritually gathered, 

 and infused, might make some very medicinal or 

 incantatorial potion. Lastly, libations of water were 

 never to be made to their gods, but when they con- 

 sisted of this purest of all water, as what was 

 immediately come from the heavens, and partly 



