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corrupted probably from Arthur’s Stone. This may have been taught them by 
somebody that had a notion of Arthur’s Round Table, thinking this erected with 
the same design, Or supposing this to be of the same age and design with 
Stonehenge, the memory of Arthur may be kept up by its similitude to the other, 
for Arthur, according to our Monkish History was a great man; and the honour 
attributed to Aurelius Ambrosius, who took upon him the government of the 
Britons when their affairs were desperate, after the departure of the Romans, 
Arthur is always allowed to share in. This might be from Arthur’s being a Briton, 
whereas the other was half if not wholly of Roman blood.” 
* * * * * * 
“‘ With due submission to those that pronounce otherwise these monuments 
seem the work of the Britons before Czesar invaded them: it could not be of the 
Britons during the Romans’ stay, for nothing was done then but Roman, and these 
are not like Roman. Nor could the Britons do it afterwards, who were, alas ! 
too much harass’d by their enemies to go about such a work as this for shew. 
Had the Saxons set up these stupendous pillars we must have seen more of the 
sort about the Island, and we should probably have had some account of it in their 
own or the British annals. Nor had the Danes quiet possession here long enough 
to carry on an undertaking that required so much time and application. The 
manuscripts of Ninnius, which mention Stonehenge, written two hundred years 
before the Danes had any considerable footing on this Island, decide the matter 
sufficiently against them.” 
““Two things ought to be cleared up before we go farther. The first is, that 
if this was a sepulchral monument erected by Pagans, we might expect to find 
barrows at some small distance. If it were Christian we might expect to meet 
with a cross or something of that kind implying the design.” 
# * # * * * 
“‘T confess there is a cross stands within a furlong or two (as near as I can 
remember) of Artil’s Stone in Herefordshire : which phenomenon my readers are 
welcome to apply to what Hypothesis they please.” 
“Tt is upon a road over the mountain: an old coarse stone about eight foot 
above the ground, and about a foot and half broad. The figure of a cross is made 
by cutting into the stone an inch, or two, as we see them sometimes in churches.” 
“*The second difficulty to be accounted for, is, that this Arthur’s Stone if 
coeval with Stonehenge, Rolle-Rich, and Biscaw-woune, should hold it out so 
bravely against time and weather, to which the rest have submitted. It is 
possible this being a natural stone may bear weather better than a compounded 
one, as I suppose the rest to be. And it is possible the race of Britons driven up 
to those mountains who are fond of pedigree, and delight in poems upon their 
worthies and heroes, may from time to time have repaired this decaying 
monument.” 
Salmon’s details possess great interest, and prove that the appearance of the 
Cromlech is now much the same as it was two hundred years ago. The great 
top stone was then broken, and the description generally would apply to the 
present state of this curiously interesting ruin enveloped as it isin ages of mystery. 
