56 HISTORY OF THE DRUIDS. 



that the principal rites of druidism originated here, 

 and were transmitted hence into Gaul. It is said the 

 Gauls came here to be perfected ; the druids were 

 teachers of religion and philosophy, and it is thought 

 they learned their philosophy from Pythagoras ; 

 their chief settlement was in the Isle of Anglesea, 

 which was well stored with spacious groves of their 

 favourite oak. Many of them seemed to have 

 lived a kind of monastic life, united together in fra- 

 ternities.* As one principal part of their office 

 was to direct the worship and religious rites of the 

 people, the service of the Temple required a con- 

 siderable number of them, and all those lived to- 

 gether near the temple which they served; The 

 arch-druid had his residence in the Isle of Anglesea, 

 surrounded by a great number of the most eminent 

 of his order. Some lived as hermits, to acquire 

 greater reputation for sanctity, in the most unfre- 

 quented places. In some of the western islands of 

 Scotland, there are still remaining the foundations 

 of small circular houses, capable of containing only 

 one person, which are called by the people of the 

 country druid houses. See Martin's dissert, of the 

 Western Isles, page 154:. They lived in celibacy, 

 and were waited upon by a set of female devotees, 

 called druidesses. They were very numerous, as 

 the people being very superstitious would facilitate 

 the increase of their number. We are informed 

 that they entertained an opinion that the greater 

 number of druids they had in their country, they 



* Marcell. Ammianus, Lib. 15. Chap. 9, 



