MONUMENTAL REMAINS. 373 



for the sepulchral protection of heroes and great men. The stone 

 chests, the repository of the urns and ashes, are lodged in the 

 earth beneath : sometimes only one, sometimes more, are found 

 thus deposited; and Mr. Pennant mentions an instance of 17 being 

 discovered under the same pile. 



Cairns are of different sizes, some of them very lar^e. Mr. 

 Pennant describes one in the island of Arran, 114 feet' over, and 

 of a vast height. They may justly be supposed to have been pro. 

 portioned in size to the rank of the person, or to his popularity : 

 the people of a whole district assembled to show their respect to 

 the deceased 5 and, by an active honouring of his memory, soon 

 accumulated heaps equal to those that astonish us at this time. 

 But these honours were not merely those of the day, as long as 

 the memory of the deceased endured, not a passenger went by 

 without adding a stone to the heap : they supposed it would be an 

 honour to the dead, and acceptable to his manes. 



Quanquam festinas, non est mora longa : licebit, 

 Injecto ter pulvere, curras. 



To this monument there is a proverbial expression among the 

 highlanders allusive to the old practice ; a suppliant will tell his 

 patro, Curri mi docker do charne, " I will add a stone to your 

 cairn ;" meaning, When you are no more, I will do all possible 

 honour to your memory. 



Cairns are to be found in all parts of our islands, in Cornwall, 

 Wales, and all parts of North Britain; they were in use among 

 the northern nations. In Wales they are called carneddau ; but 

 the proverb taken from them there, is not of the complimenta! 

 kind : Karn ar dy ben, or, " A cairn on your head," is a token 

 of imprecation. 



CROMLECHS. 



This kind of ancient monument, consists, as we have already 

 observed, of huge, broad, fiat stones, raised upon other stones set 

 upon end for that purpose. 



These monuments are spoken of largely by Mr. Rowland, by 

 Dr. Borlase, and by \\ormius, under the name of Aru or altar. 

 Mr. [lowland, however, is divided in his opinion; for he partly 

 inclines to the notion of their having been altars, partly to their 

 having been sepulchres: he supposes them to have been originally 



