Dr Hibbert's Observations on Vitrified Furls. 299 



lignorum struibus ad classicos insultus accedentium inimico- 

 rum arcendos excitati : alterum vero in littoralibus angustiis, 

 et scopulis, ne hostes insiliant, diligens equeslrium custodia 

 intuenda: qui montana inhabitant loca tempore hostili, veluti 

 celerrimi speculators, signa fumo faciunt : quibus visis, alii 

 reliquos montes incolentes, itidem a longe positis ignita pyra- 

 mu!e demonstrant, ut quilibet armatus juxtanumerum princi- 

 pis, et patriae lege decretum, ex campestribus locis pro litto- 

 rum custodia sine mora descendat. Inter quos velites eques- 

 tres celerrimi adsunt, ut hostibus portuum, vel riparum ac- 

 cessuni prseclusuri, sagittariis plebeian multitudinis locum sta- 

 tuant, ubi commodius excipiant, ac conficiant hostem, omnino 

 aggredi contendentem : ut scilicet in vallibus, aut cavernis 

 expectent, vel ad iniqua et ignota hostibus loca, quasi fugitivi 

 declinent, ne forte eos taliter insequentes educere valeant in 

 agmina robustiora : quae urgente necessitate, usque ad infini- 

 tam multitudinem augeri solent. Nee desunt exploratores 

 quoque versum emissi, qui renuntiant, qua ex parte adhuc 

 immineant hostes, ut his celerius, et copiosius occurrentcs, vel 

 cotisilio, vel virtute, vel insidiis, vel necessitate, vel despera- 

 tione, vel loci securitate nutantibus, ne dum victoriam adimant, 

 seel et victos, ut imperata perficiant, militari lege constringant." 

 (l)c Gentibus Septcntrionalibus, &c. edition, Romce, 1555, 

 1). 228.) 



Such is the account of these ancient mountain-fires which I 

 have collected from Olaus Magnus. By another writer, it has 

 been related of the Norwegian Monarch, Ilaco the Good, 

 that he caused large trees to be formed into piles, and to be so 

 placed as to be visible from mountain to mountain, with the 

 view that intelligence of a hostile invasion might in seven days 

 travel from one end of his kingdom to the other- " Ut in 

 moiitibus excelsis ex ingentibus arboribus pyr;e ita strucrcntur 

 (s. angari) ut ab una pyra ad alteram fatilis el liber es.set pro- 

 spectus. Excitatus hoc paclo hostilis irruplionis nuntius, a 

 prima in extremo regni ad meridiem angulo extr ucta pyra, ad 

 remotissimum boream versus publicorum oomiliotuxo in I I.i- 

 logalandia locum scptcni dieruni spatio volitassi' fertur." 

 (Snorre Huconar Goda, exxi. p. 140.) The (piotation is to be 



