44 Stonehenge and its Barrows. 



says : " From many and repeated visits I conceived it to be an Astro- 

 nomical Temple : and from what I could recollect to have read of it, no 

 author had as yet investigated its uses. Without an instrument or 

 any assistance whatever, but White's Ephemeris, I began my survey. 

 I suspected the stone called T/ie Friar's Heel to be the index that 

 would disclose the uses of this structure ; nor was I deceived. This 

 stone stands in a right line with the centre of the Temple, pointing 

 to the North East. I first drew a circle round the vallum of the ditch 

 and divided it into 360 equal parts ; and then a right line through 

 the body of the Temple to the Friar's Heel ; at the intersection of 

 these lines, I reckoned the sun's greatest amplitude at the summer 

 solstice, in this latitude, to be about 60 degrees, and fixed the Eastern 

 points accordingly. Pursuing this plan, I soon discovered the uses 

 of all the detached stones, as well as those that formed the body of 

 the Temple." His book is entitled " Choir Gawr, the Grand Orrery 

 of the ancient Druids, commonly called Stonehenge, astronomically 

 explained, and proved to be a Temple for observing the motions of 

 the heavenly bodies." 



It is interesting to read Dr. Johnson's notions about Stonehenge, 

 as we find them in a letter to Mrs. Thrale, written October 9, 1783, 

 vol. X., p. 269 of 1835 ed. " Two nights ago Mr. Eurke sat with 

 me a long time. He seems much pleased with his journey. We 

 had both seen Stonehenge this summer for the first time. I told 

 him that the view had enabled me to confute two opinions which 

 had been advanced about it. One, that the materials are not natural 

 stones, but an artificial composition hardened by time. This notion 

 is as old as Camden's time ; and has this strong argument to support 

 it, that stone of that species is nowhere to be found. The other 

 opinion, advanced by Dr. Charleton, is that it was erected by the 

 Danes. 



" Mr. Bowles made me observe, that the transverse stones were 

 fixed on the perpendicular supporters by a knob formed on the top 

 of the upright stone, which entered into a hollow cut in the 

 crossing stone. This is a proof that the enormous edifice was 

 raised by a people who had not yet the knowledge of mortar; 

 which cannot be supposed of the Danes, who came hither in ships, 



