HISTORY OF THE DRUIDS. 53 



chariots in battle, which, with short scythes fastened 

 to the ends of the axle-trees, inflicted terrible 

 wounds, spreading terror and devastion wheresoev- 

 er they drove. Nor while the chariots were thus 

 destroying, were the warriors who conducted 

 them unemployed : these darted their javelins a. 

 gainst the enemy, ran along the beam, leapt on the 

 ground, resumed their seat, stopt, or turned their 

 horses at full speed, and sometimes cunningly re- 

 treated, to draw the enemy into confusion. 



The religion of the Britons was one of the most 

 considerable parts of their government, and the 

 druids who were the guardians of it possessed great 

 authority among them. The word druid is suppo- 

 sed to be derived from the old british word drew-oak. 

 The druids are said by some to have learned their 

 tenets of the ancient Celts, or Celtae,* who migrated, 



* How long the tribes of the ancient Britons had in- 

 habited this country before the Roman conquest, cannot 

 be asccrta ined. But from their dispersion over the island, 

 and their various settlements in it, ages must have elapsed. 

 They were all of one race and spoke one language, 

 though in different dialects. The people denominated 

 the Celts appear to have occupied the whole of the Brit- 

 ish Islands, and the western part of the continent of 

 Europe ; the remains of that people and of their language 

 still exists in Wales, in the Highlands of Scotland, and 

 in the west of Ireland. This is argued from the similar- 

 ity of language, from the same names in different coun- 

 tries, as to the names given to hills, promontories, rivers, 

 &c. in each of those parts of the British empire. Mr. 

 Young observes that the name of the river at YVhitby, the 

 Esk, which in the British language signifies water or 

 river, affords a remarkable example ; there being 

 three rivers of the same name in England, five in. 

 Scotland, and two or three in Ireland. The Gaelic lan- 

 guage spoken by the Caledonians, or as they are now 



