I;'792. antiquities in Scotland. 293 



situation ; for it is often characterised by the epithet 

 horrid, and the glooniinefs of tlie grove that sur- 

 rounded it. That such a grove did actually surround 

 it we leara from the foUov/ing pafsage : " Pie {i. e. 

 Grumal) poured his warriors on the sounding Craca ; 

 and Craca's king met him from his grove ; for with- 

 in the circle of Brumo he spoke to the stone of pow- 

 er." It is probable that most of these temples might- 

 then be placed within a grove, 'to add to the gloomy 

 reverence of the place. The situation of one of tliese, 

 and the picturesque scenery around it, is thus descri- 

 bed in the poem of Caricthura : " A rock bends along 

 the coast," says Ofsiauj "with all its echoing wood ^ 

 on the top is the circle of Loda, and the mofsy stone 

 of power ; a narrow plain bends beneath,- and the 

 blue course of the streai-n is there." The scenery 

 here, excepting tiie wood, which is not often found 

 s^urrounding these structures now, is in general the 

 same with that where they are now found. Another 

 striking feature that I long ago * remarked, occurs 

 in the following description of another of these struc- 

 tures. " High broken rocks," says Ofsian, in the 

 poem of Sul M-alla of Lumon, " were round with all 

 •their bending trees. Near were two circles of Loda, 

 with the stone of power, where spirits descended at 

 night in dark red streams- of fire. There, mixed with 

 the murmur of waters, rose the voiee of men, ts'c." 

 In the description of these structures, just qnotes.}-, . 

 which I made at the time from observing tlic c^bject 

 ^ilone, without having any reference to the works ct: 



• I', th; je^r 1776, in a Icr-i- pibHinrd I:i the trr.r.sartiQns of ;.'.c,A;,- 

 'tiqui.'un S'.ciccy of L. d.n. 



