176 Leland’s Journey through Wiltshire. 
the ground stones and clubs, and attacked their assailants, &c. 
[ Collect. 11. 29.]} 
{Another ancient chronicle? directly asserts that Stonehenge 
was built by Vortigern as a lasting memorial of this massacre : and 
that Merlin recommended fetching certain great stones from 
Ireland: to which the King replied that “he thought he had as 
hard stones in England as they had in Ireland.” Upon this story 
Leland observes— ]? 
“ About the fetching of them from Ireland, it is all fabulous. 
For every person even of common information must know that 
these stones, so large as not even to be moved by any mechanism 
in our unscientific days, were brought by Merlin with marvellous 
skill and the help of ingenious machinery from some neighbouring 
quarry to the place where they are now the admiration of 
travellers. It would, indeed, have puzzled him to bring them by 
sea to Amesbury, for there is no sea coast within 20 miles of it.”4 
RAMSBURY, BEDWYN, AND MARLBOROUGH. [vu 83]. 
From Zamburne {co. Berks) on to Ramsbury toune about a 5 
miles, firste by champayne grounde fruteful of corne, then by hills 
fruteful of wood and corne. Kenet toucheth the toun with his left 
ripe suopinge in a low botom. There is a fayre and large olde 
chirche in the toune. The Bishope of Saresbyri hath a faire olde 
place halfe a mile upper upon the left ripe of Kenet, that a litle 
above the place in the medow maketh out an arme, and a litle 
benethe the place resorting to the hed streme maketh the medows 
on the south side of the place a Mediamunis or isle. There is a right 
faire and large parke hangynge upon the clyffe of an high hille 
well wooded over Kenet, hard on the south side of the place. 
Litlecote the Darell’s chief house is a mile from Ramesbyri. 
From Ramesbyri to Saresbyri good 20 miles. 
1 See Antiquarian Repertory. 11. 262. 
2 Quoted in Hoare’s Hist. of Amesbury, p. 199. 
3 See the Latin in Collectanea. 1. 31. 
4 The old fable was, that Merlin conjured them by magic out of Ireland, and 
brought them aloft in the skies. ‘‘ What, in Charles’s Wain?” asks Fuller. 
