DRUIDS. 



Druid*, 



Ranks and 

 orders of 

 the Druids. 



t eristic instance and proof of the manufacture of Irish 

 authorities, which may well excuse us from examining 

 laboriously or minutely their claims to Druidism. This 

 author, indignant at the opinion c\pre>slv supported by 

 Qesar, that the religion of Druidism was invented in 

 Britain, without scruple alters the text of the Roman 

 historian, and supposes that he wrote, not " disciplina 

 in Britannia reperta," but " disciplina in insulis Bril- 

 tanice reperta." This he calls clearing up and illustra- 

 ting the passage. Rowland, in his Mono Antiqita, sup- 

 poses that when the Roman general attacked the Dru- 

 ids in Anglesey, some of them fled over into Ireland ; 

 but for tins supposition there is no authority. 



With respect to Italy, the only work, as far as we 

 know, in which it is asserted that Druidism had taken 

 root there, is the Ancient Universal History. In the 

 JiJth volume of this work, page 78, the authors say, 

 " The sect and religion of the Druids spread as far as 

 Italy; for Augustus published an edict, forbidding the 

 Romans to celebrate their mysteries." It is surprising 

 how writers in general, so accurate and well-informed, 

 Iiould have fallen into this error ; for, by a reference 

 to Suetonius, it will be found, that by this edict the use 

 of their religious ceremonies in Gaul was prohibited ; 

 and this prohibition, as well as the subsequent edicts of 

 Tiberius and Claudius for the same purpose, seem to 

 have been issued, in consequence of the abhorrence 

 which the Romans felt towards the horrid usages of 

 Druidism. 



IV. The Druids were divided into several ranks and 

 orders, respecting which Casar informs us, that some 

 of them were more eminent than others, and tlvat over 

 the whole there was one supreme head, or arch-druid. 

 This person was chosen from among those, who were 

 most distinguished and eminent for their knowledge of 

 the mysteries of Druidism, by a plurality of votes ; and 

 as the station brought with it considerable emolument, 

 as well as power, and was favoured with high and pe- 

 culiar privileges, it was an object of great ambition ; 

 and the sword was sometimes appealed to, in order to de- 

 cide the election. According to Diodorus Siculus, Stra- 

 bo, and Ammianus Marccllinus, or, to speak more cor- 

 rectly, Timagenes, there were three orders of Druids, 

 the Bards, Eubages, and Druids ; for this last appellation 

 was sometimes given to them all conjointly, and some- 

 times to one particular class. The bards sung the 

 praises of illustrious men ; the cubages, according to 

 Timagenes, directed their attention and study to the 

 phenomena of nature ; but, according to other authors, 

 they were sacred musicians and poets, performing the 

 same office for the gods which the bards did for men. 

 The duties and privileges of the Druids, properly so 

 called, will be considered afterwards. We shall only 

 observe here, that, according to Strabo, they possessed 

 the highest power, and gave laws to the bards and cu- 

 bages, who were obliged, on every occasion, to give 

 precedence to them, and were not allowed to do any 

 thing without their consent and approbation. 



Diodorus Siculus and Cicero mention another order, 

 called Sarconides ; but Bochart and other critics have 

 proved, that Druids and Sarconides, being Greek sy no- 

 iiimcs, were used by antiquity to express the same 

 thing; Sarconides, according to Hesychius, meaning 

 kucli people as paid veneration to the oak. At one pe- 

 riod, mention is made of the Senani, as p.ut of the 

 Druids ; but this appellation, in the opinion of the au- 

 thors of the Ancient Universal History, was probably 

 taken by them, as more pleasing to the Romans ; and 

 from the authority of Pomponius Mi-la, this conjecture 



seems to be confirmed ; for he explains the word teiiOf, firmd*. 

 which, according to him, was gi\en to them by the La- ^""Y" * 

 tin term tenet. 



Besides the male Druidf , there were also Druidrsses, 

 who, like the former, were divided into three classes. 

 The first lived together in sisterhoods apart from the 

 world, having vowed perpetual virginity. They were 

 much reported to and venerated by the people, on ac- 

 count of their supposed powers of divination. Ac- 

 cording to Mela, who particularly descriln-s them, one 

 of these sisterhoods contained nine Druidesscs, who 

 pretended to raise storms, to cure all diseases, to trans- 

 form, themselves into whatever shape they pleased, and 

 to foresee future events. The second class consisted of 

 married women, who, however, only cohabited for a 

 short time, or occasionally with their husbands, living 

 generally with the Druids. The third class was the 

 lowest in rank and estimation. Their duty was to per- 

 form the most servile offices about the temples, the sa- 

 crifices, and the persons of the Druids. Mr Pinkerton 

 remarks, that after Suetonius Patilinus destroyed the 

 Druidic groves in Anglesey, only female Druids are men- 

 tioned. In this he is not strictly correct, though their 

 name occurs certainly more frequently after this event 

 than that of male Druids ; and they seem to have been 

 in some estimation even among the Roman emperors ; 

 for Aurelian consulted Gallic Druidesses, according to 

 Vopiscus. 



V. Their powers, privileges, and immunities, were Their pow- 

 numerous and important : in fact, they seem to have crs, privi- 

 possessed the supreme authority, and to have controul- !'' 

 led and directed the plans and operations of the sove- 

 reign. According to Caesar, " no sacred rite could be 

 performed, except a Druid were present : by means of 

 them, as the favourites of the gods, and the deposita- 

 ries of their counsels, the people offered up their thanks- 

 givings, sacrifices, and prayers ; and submitted with the 

 most implicit veneration to all their commands." He 

 adds, that so great was the respect paid to tlio character 

 of tlie Druids, that when two hostile armies, inflamed 

 with rage, with their swords drawn and their spears 

 extended, were on the point of engaging, if the Druids 

 interfered, they sheathed their swords, and became in- 

 stantly calm and peaceful. Their persons were esteem- 

 ed sacred and inviolable; they were exempted from all 

 taxes and military services ; they exercised a civil and 

 criminal jurisdiction ; those who did not obey their de- 

 crees, were interdicted the sacrifices, after which, no per- 

 son dared to hold communication or converse witli 

 them, so that this punishment was reckoned severer 

 than deatl itself. The Druids had the privilege of 

 wearing white garments, which all other classes were 

 expressly forbidden to do. At their yearly court of ap- 

 peal, which, according to Caesar, they held in the terri- 

 tory of the Carmites, they held their sittings in a conse- 

 crated grove ; and before them all who had any private 

 suits or controversies appeared, and considered them- 

 selves obliged to submit to their decrees and sentence. 

 In order to increase the public respect and veneration 

 for them, they appeared to have lived in a retired man- 

 ner, either singly or in fraternities. We have no accu- 

 rate information respecting the means by which they 

 were supported ; but, as the administration of justice, 

 the practice of physic, and the my-tcii-.-s of religion, 

 were exclusively in their hands, it is reasonable to sup- 

 pose, that from these sources they derived consider- 

 able emolument Toland, in his hNti.ry of the Druids, 

 mentions a tradition, which, if authentic, would like- 

 wise be the means of increasing their revenues, while it 



