Rude Stone Antiquities of Brittany. By Miss Russell. 521 



modern-looking head probably meant for Venus, his own name, 

 and the cipher of his family. 



The flight of the Pompeian party had been so complete, that 

 none but the working staff of the mint were left, and he did not 

 appoint the usual officials who looked after the coinage, till he 

 had completed this personal one of his own, out of the treasure 

 previously kept in reserve in Rome. It was in connection with 

 this that the picturesque incident took place, of Caesar's being 

 called to account, in what must have been a purely formal way, 

 and his replying that the emergency for which the treasure had 

 always been kept, was an invasion of the Gauls, and that he had 

 annihilated their power. N.B. I have not been able myself to 

 find any case of the use of the I I T except by Caesar, but I have 

 no doubt M. de la Monneraye is right as to it belonging to his 

 family. 



Quimpily is about fifteen miles from Pontivy, and not easily 

 reached; the original site of the statue, the "Grroach," fairy or 

 witch, as it is called, was two or three miles off. It may be 

 remarked, the poetically imagined, if clumsily executed, tablets 

 found on the Roman wall in Scotland, in which the Romans, as 

 they always did, do great justice to the valour of their bai'barian 

 adversaries, are results of a long occupation, while they testify to 

 a very imperfect conquest. 



I do not see any particular reason to suppose, from Breton 

 analogies, that any of our existing standing-stones have been 

 idols. We really know very little about them ; but while there 

 is every probability that pillar-stones were worshipped in Scot- 

 land as well as in Ireland, France, and the East, many of these 

 stones have not the pillar form at all, and many seem to mark old 

 fields of battle. (I observe it is said that St Patrick had the 

 great pillar-stone in the plain of Magh Sleacht, in Ireland, thrown 

 down. This must have been a different object from the golden 

 idol, which from the name of Cruach, or stack, seems to have been 

 a cone, or its twelve surrounding stones, also at Magh Sleacht.) 



The so-called standing-stone at the Billy Mire is a natural 

 lump of water-rolled pink sandstone, about five feet high, but in 

 form very much like a sponge. There was a great cairn near it, 

 with interments all round. I do not know if this name of Billy, 

 which pervades the district, can be that of Bib. king of Cumbria, 

 or of Alclyde as he was called, but his son Brude became king of 

 the Picts through his mother, and had to fight for it. And the 

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