Mr. George Tate 07i Ancient Sculptured Rocks, 8fc. 175 



and the world, the nature of things, and the influence and 

 ability of the immortal gods. Altars they would have whereon 

 to perform their sacrifices — symbolic representations of their 

 divinities and of the doctrines they taught ; for as Strabo 

 remarks, " superstitions must be nourished by fables and 

 portents ;" and figures too, by which to perform their incan- 

 tations and magical rites. Nothing remains so likely to have 

 served these purjxjses as the inscribed rocks ; and if so used, 

 they would be regarded by the people as sacred stones ; and 

 probably enough be themselves objects of worship. Inciden- 

 tal records of a later period, inform us, that stones were 

 worshipped in Britain from an early period ; and even aft A 

 Christianity was introduced, this idolatry was still in use. 

 Canute by a law, '' strictly forbade the worship of the gods 

 of the Gentiles; that is the sun, moon, fires, rivers, rocks, 

 trees ;" and a canon made in the reign of King Edgar, for- 

 bade "will worshippings and necromaucings, and divinations 

 and stone worshipping." 



As the functions of the Druids were varied, so might these 

 sacred stones be used for several purposes. On them, as 

 altars, sacrifices may have been slain to avert either personal 

 or state calamities ; some of the figures may be the hierogly- 

 phics of the Gods to whom they were dedicated ; the philo- 

 sophical views of the Druids may be symbolically represented 

 in the circles combined with circles on the Routing Linn 

 Stone, which, situated in a wild district and probably in the 

 midst of forests, would be such a place as the Druids would 

 choose, wherein to teach their occult doctrines and practice 

 their superstitious rites. Some of the groups of the concen- 

 tric circles may show their idea of the motion of the heavenly 

 bodies ; and the radial lines might set forth the " influence 

 and ability of the immortal Gods," as extending through and 

 beyond the orbits of the heavenly bodies ; the plant-like 

 figures might enable them to expound *' the nature of things " 

 as seen in vegetation ; possibly the grooves passing from the 

 centre of one system of circles to another might symbolise the 

 passage of a soul, from one state of being into another and a 

 higher state. And in addition, I cannot but think that one 

 of the chief uses of these sacred stones was for magic and 

 necromacy. The religious and philosophical significancy of 

 the figures would add to their impressiveness on the popular 

 mind, when used for this purpose; and magnify the mysterious 

 power of the Druid priest or magician when he cast a horo- 

 scope, or endeavoured by incantations to avert personal or 

 public calamities. 



