126 Vestiges of the Earliest Inhabitants of Wiltshire. 



Diodorus Siculus; who, (though contemporary with Caesar, and 

 therefore describing their houses, when in their most advanced 

 stage of civilization,) says, " the Britons dwell in wretched huts." * 



Connecting these villages with one another, Sir Richard Hoare 

 traced on our Wiltshire downs, in several instances, what he desig- 

 nated as covered ways of communication, being hollow roads with 

 banks on either side, protecting and concealing the traveller.' 



In addition to these, were the Ridgways, or British trackways, 

 many of which are still in existence and indeed in present use on 

 our downs, and of which we have in North Wilts some admirable 

 examples. Unlike the Roman roads, they do not keep an invari- 

 able straight line,*' but wind along the tops or sides of the chain of 

 hills which lay in their way. 



And now we pass on to consider that wherein they certainly 

 made great proficiency ; religion and philosophy. That the Druids, 

 who were the priests of Britain,* were famous even among foreign 

 nations,^ for their superior knowledge of the principles, and for 

 their great zeal for the rites of their religion, we have the testimony 

 of Caesar.^ What those principles were, or rather to what they 

 degenerated is not so certain : but in the outset, I contend that 

 they must have retained considerable traces of the true faith. 

 Sprung, as the Celts were, from Gomer,''' the grandson of Noah, it 

 is not to be imagined, that for sometime at least, they could have 



^ Diodorus Siculus, lib. v., cap. 8. 

 « Sir R. Hoare's Ancient "Wilts, vol. i., 19, 44, 116, ii., 37, 109, 

 3 Sir R. Hoare's Ancient Wilts, vol. i., p. 248, ii., 3, 8, 29, 107. 

 * Diodorus Siculus, lib. v., cap. 21. p. 354. 

 » Strabo, lib. iv., p. 197. 

 Cicero de Divin : lib. i. 

 Mela, lib. iii., c. 2. 

 Ammian: Marcellin, c. 15. 

 Tacit : Annal : 1. 14. 



Henry's History of Great Britain, vol. i., chap. 2, vol. ii., 2. 

 * Caesar Comment : de Bell: Gall: Ub. vi., cap. 13, who also adds that such 

 of the Gauls as were desirous of being thoroughly instructed in the principles of 

 their religion (which was the same with that of the Britons), usually took a 

 journey into Britain for that purpose. 



' Rapin's History of England, vol. i., p. 5. 

 Henry's History of Great Britain, vol. i., 2. 



