By William Long, Esq., M.A. 321 



think Selborough a boundary, as lie doth in his Britannia, (§ 10,14). 

 At Avebury (itself) with its many inward circles of stones (§ 14) the 

 solemnities began and concluded. The circular entrenchment so 

 contrived that the vulgar from thence might view the ceremonies 

 without breaking in on those that oflB.ciated (§ 14). Hence they 

 marched with ceremony along the double range of stones for a 

 mile in length, even to the eminence overlooking East Kennet ; 

 then halted at the two circles of stones one within another, standing 

 not long since entire. Some remains of the greater circle are yet 

 to be seen (§ 11). The inhabitants have a tradition this was once 

 a place of worship, as I verily believe it; the Romans here keeping 

 their Feralia, in memory of their dead friends, they crowned the 

 stones with garlands and made their offerings to the Manes (§ 12). 

 Then followed the Ludi Funebres in the small plain Selborough- 

 hill stands in; whither by turning to the right, the other range of 

 stones that helps form the Cuneus (Cunetium, Kennet § 49, 50) 

 conducted them cross the current to a place by nature so fitted to 

 the purpose, (§ 12). Though the neighbouring 'Backhampton' is but 

 a small village, its name seems to discover somewhat of the extent 

 and use of the Circus (the whole Cunetium, as he terms it, he defines 

 as a Circus Lapideiis, of between three and four miles^) whether we 

 say that it stood on the back of the Circus, or that they returned 

 this way back in procession (§ 34). To the oblong part of the Cir- 

 cus this village joins, the Romans, I conceive, gave the name of 

 Discus, in our language a coit, one of the exercises here used. 

 Hence the large stones to the west, the remains of the Discus now 

 standing, are still called the 'Devil's Coits ''^ (Gale's Iter, p. 135). 

 Not that these two stones were ever British Deities, as some learned 

 men have fancied, but a part of the Discus, as other stones lying in 

 the same field do shew, to justify the figure I have assigned the 

 whole" (§36;. 



It is observable, that Twining no where alludes to any stones re- 



• He insists on the river Kennet "rising within the work," and so shows it in 

 his plan, though it really rises some miles farther north in the winter bourns, 

 giving their names to the villages so called. 



* The stones called the 'Devil's Arrows' at Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, doubt- 

 loB8 derive their name in the same way as these. 



