A TOUR HpUND NORTH WALES. 259 



Tacitus has given us a moil animated 

 defcription of the actions of the Druids in 

 defence of their temple s$nd facred groves, 

 and of the horror with which the Roman 

 foldiers were ftruck on obferving their myf- 

 terious rites. " Stat pro littore diverfa 

 *' acies, denfa armis virifque, intercurfan- 

 " tibus fceminis in modum furiarum, vefte 

 " ferali, crinibus dejedtis, faces prefere- 

 " bant; Druidaeque circum, preces diras 

 " fublatis ad coelum manibus fundentes. 

 " Novitate afpedus .percutere militem, ut 

 " quafi hasrentibus membris, immobile 

 *' corpus vulneribus praeberent. Dein co- 

 *' hortationibus ducis, et fe ipfe ftimu- 

 *' lantes, ne muliebre et fanaticum ag- 

 f e men pavefcerent, inferunt figna, fter- 

 ** nuntque obvios et igni fuo involvunt. 

 " Prasfidium pofthac impofitum vicis, ex- 

 *' cifque luci, fasvis fuperflitionibus facri. 

 ** Nam crurore captivo adolere aras, et 

 82 *' hominum 



