314 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF THE 



fequently, they became the national hiftorians. On 

 hnportant occafions, the bards were made ambaf- 

 fadors between contending chiefs ; but at all times 

 their jierfons were held facred. " Cairbar (fays 

 Oflian) feared to flretch his fword to the bards, 

 though his foul was dark. Loofe (faid the noble 

 Cathmor) the bards. They are the fons of other 

 times. Their voice fhall be heard in other years, 

 when the kings of Temora have failed." They 

 were exempted from all military ferv'ices, even in 

 times of the greateft danger ; and whenever they 

 attended their patrons into the field of battle, to fmg 

 their heroic a«5lions, a guard was afligned for their 

 protedion. 



The druids certainly worftiippcd either a multipli- 

 city of deities, or one God under fevq-al different 

 appellations*. To them they ofiered human vic- 

 tims : thieves, robbers, and other malefactors, were 

 preferred ; but if thefe were not to be had, they 

 facrificed innocent perfons. Diodorus Siculus afferts 

 that condemned criminals were refei*ved, and at the 

 end of every five years were all facrificed at once. 

 Captives of war were alfo immolated in the fame 

 manner f. 



I have been informed that one relic of druidical 

 facrifice is yet obferved in fome parts of North 



• Among thefc were Tcutates, or Mercury, and Apollo, 

 Mars, Jupiter, and Minerva, under different Britilh namei. 

 Caefar, lib. vi. f. 17. 



t Strabo, vl. 19^. V. 32. Cstfar, vi. j 6. 



Wales* 



