DKUIDISM. 213 



ancestors, for the titnc-liouored sane lilies of ihcir system, and for super- 

 stition. The conflict was not long; the banner of the cross soon waved 

 in victory, and Druidism fell, — since then, old Time, in his conquering 

 march, has been heaping obscurity and darkness and romance around 

 all that remained of it, until its truths and beauties beam forth but faintly 

 from the dim twilight of fable that surrounds it. 



The Druids claim their descent from Japhet, througli his son Gomer, 

 who was the ancestor oC the Gauls, which is probable, as Japliet cer- 

 tainly settled in that part of the country; and the Edui, who were the 

 most ancient tribe of Britain, derive their name from Ades, which Jo- 

 sephus supposes to have been synonymous with Goraer. Certainly the 

 Cimmerians are thus descended, and their name is but a corruption of 

 Gomerian. 



There were three orders, the Bards, the Ovates, and the Druids, dis- 

 tinguished by their different offices of singing, serving, and ministering. 

 They dressed diffsrenlly in blue, green, and white robes. 



The system and whole ceremony of Druidism is an interesting and 

 curious mixture of sublimity and barbarism, perfectly joined and per- 

 fectly distinct. Truth is one and indivisible, and like mercury it assimi- ' 

 lates itself to nothing, so that what was true in Druidism, though mixed 

 with error, was still separate and distinct. Like the fabled apples of Is- 

 takar, all sweetness upon one side, and all bitterness upon the other — 

 so Druidism in its one aspect presents truths and charities that a chris- 

 tian might embrace, and in its other, cruelties and horrors that would 

 blanch the cheek of Paganism. All the systems, and superstitions, and 

 fanciful speculations, and Protean theories that we can trace upon the 

 face of all history, whether curious, bold, puerile or sublime, seem to 

 have found an experiment, if not tlieir embodiment, in the theology of 

 the Druids. In their mysterious ''Logan Stone," we see the accommo- 

 dating iustice of the middle ages; in the wonder-workings of their sky- 

 tubes, we detect a resemblance to judicial astrology ; their symbolical 

 idolatry likened their theology to that of ancient Persia ; in their belief 

 jn the transmigration of souls, we see the religion of the Brahmins; 

 the wonders of their mystic crystal, remind us of Eastern magic, or 

 modern Gypsyism ; in their veneration for animals, we see the supersti- 

 tion of Efifypt; their tatooing reminds us of the manners of North Amer- 

 ican Indians ; in their human sacrifices we detect a similarity to the cruel 

 riles of Pagan India; in their mysterious "cauldron of the five plants" 

 we see even Shaksperian witchery; their holy and perpetual fires might 

 have been either a type or a copy of the vestal ilame of antiquity ; their 

 •'adder stone," ehu'lowcd forlh the ^;upr.'rsliuons of ra:ly Fijuic ; ihcir 



