3^4 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



Cabiri were the artificers, and reserved to themselves the mo- 

 nopoly of working in metals ; they made the arms, armour, 

 and all other metallic articles, in great secrecy, as did the 

 ovates among the Druids. The chief workmen of the 

 Druids guarded the centre fire to which so much myste- 

 rious importance was attached/ 



But, it may be asked, if the Gauls and the Germans, 

 long before the Romans came in contact with them, shod 

 their horses with iron plates nailed to the hoofs, why was 

 a practice of so much utility, and indeed of necessity, not 

 adopted by the Romans, and mentioned in their writings, 

 when they became acquainted with these races ? This, 

 like so many others, is a difficult question to answer. 

 Unless we admit that the solece ferrece were the nail-shoes 

 of the Teutons and Gauls, or that the glantce ferrece only 

 once found in the Roman writings were attached by nails 

 to the hoofs, we have nothing whatever in the way of 

 written evidence, as before stated, to show that this de- 

 vice was resorted to by the Romany. The custom was, 

 in all likelihood, prevalent in Gaul, Switzerland, Ger- 

 many, and perhaps also in Britain, when invaded by the 

 imperial armies, and it would appear that in time the 

 Romans did resort to it. If we admit that the solece 



' Megnin. Op. cit., p. 9. ' La nuit du i^' Novembre, les traditions 

 Irlandaises rapportent que les druides se rassemblaient autoiir du " pere- 

 feu " garde par un pon life -forger on et Feteignaient. A ce signal, de proche 

 en proche s'eteignaient tous les feux de Tile 5 partout regnait un silence 

 de mort j la nature entiere semblait plongee dans une nuit primitive. 

 Tout a coup le feu jaillissait de nouveau de la montagne sainte, et des 

 cris d'allegresse eclataient de toutes parts ; la flamme empruntee au 

 "pere-feu" courait, de foyer en foyer, d'un bout a I'autre de File et 

 ranimait partout la vie.' Martin. Op. cit., vol. i. 



