66 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Eoman construction cut in the rock. The mines of the environs, for 

 the working of which this colossal work was executed, are now 

 abandoned. On the fall side the Sil flows in a defile of 400 m. depth." 

 " A tradition has been carried down that this cave holds an enormous 

 treasure, and to obtain it a passage has to be made through a gallery 

 closed by an enormous door. It is guarded by the Jatias (the antique 

 gnomes of the miners of the Hartz mountains) ; that any that find 

 their way in will never come out again, but will be compelled to 

 join in a Maccabean^ dance, terminating in madness and death." 

 Notwithstanding this, many years ago, some of the country people, 

 overcome by their cupidity, joined together to lay bare the treasure, 

 in spite of the attempts of their spiritual advisers to dissuade them. 

 They commenced work ; and for a few days all went on "as merry as 

 a marriage bell"; but their ignorance of the rudiments of mining 

 brotight the roof about their heads, and they were buried under the 

 ruins they had brought upon themselves. They were looked upon as 

 apostates, condemned, and left where they had fallen. IS'o further 

 attempt has been made to reach the treasure. Nothing can be seen 

 to-day to show what or how they worked, beyond the immense attle 

 banks and the gold found in the stream draining this. 



A.S regards the " Janas" which the tradition says guard the door 

 of the treasure, it is worth while citing the remarks made in Smith's 

 "Greek and Eoman Mythology" as regards "■ Janus.' ^ ("A god 

 peculiar to the Italians; he was, however, regarded as one of the 

 oldest, holiest, and most exalted of the gods. In course of time he 

 became the god of all going out and coming in, to whom all places of 

 entrance and passage, all doors and gates, were holy. In Kome all 

 doors and covered passages were suggestive of his name. Over the 

 latter the arches which spanned the streets were called iani. From 

 him sprang all wells, rivers, and streams. He was described as the 

 discoverer of the art of shipbuilding. ^Janus' and ^ Jana' are only 

 other forms of Bianus and Diana. The fact of ' Jana' being identical 

 in import with ^ Luna' and ^ Diana' is attested beyond doubt by Varro. 

 Whether the Etrurian divinity, with two or four faces, was originally 

 the same as the Eoman Janus, is uncertain.") 



"A number of these ancient workings are on the banks of the 

 river Ouro, which before it falls into the Navia, has its name changed 

 to Lor, the former being the local name for Gold, and both originating 

 from the same word, Oro = gold. The country people pan this river, 

 •T-etting fair results in their crude operations. Their pans are roughly 



Query " danse Macabre.' 



