108 
In all these passages, we meet an exact resemblance, even to 
minuteness, between the Jewish and Druidic places and edifices of 
worship. ‘The sacred mounts and altars of sacrifice—the great 
stone under the oak as the sanctuary of the Lord—the twelve 
pitched stones—whole stones not touched with iron—all these were 
just as peculiar to the one worship as to the other. Iam reminded 
of another striking resemblance. Some of the Druidic pillars have 
a small cavity at the top, whence runs a groove, about an inch 
deep, which reaches to the ground. May not the cavity and the 
groove have been appropriated to some such ceremony as Jacob 
performed, when he poured wine and oil on the stone pillar at 
Bethel ? (Gen. xxv. 14.) Struck with these extraordinary likenesses, 
Doctor Dickenson exclaims—En primos sacerdotes quernos! En 
patriarchas Druidas ! 
With respect to the veneration for fire, so characteristic in the 
Druidic doctrine, that too appears to be of divine original. A 
perpetual flame ascended on the altar of burnt offerings at Jeru- 
salm. The Almighty revealed himself to Moses in a burning bush, 
and announced his presence to the host of Israel in a pillar of fire. 
This universal and immemorial fire-ceremony does not appear to 
have been entirely neglected by the early Christians: it was, for 
instance, long and reverentially observed by the pious sisterhood of 
St. Bridget of Kildare. 
There are other strong analyses, at which I must beg leave to 
glance. The Druidic altar stone, called in Irish, Cambric, and 
Armoric, crom-leach, leac, or lech, that is, “a bending stone,” 
so designated from bowing before it, seems to be the bending stone 
of the Hebrews, called (in Levit. xxvi. 1.) even mas-cheith, com- 
monly translated lapis insignis, but, by the Chaldee paraphrast, 
lapis incurvationis. However palpable the likeness, I must not 
