THE WAVY-LEAVED OAK. 295 
rites were performed under the shadow of the 
Oak-Trees of Old England. The sacred groves 
of the Druids were all of Oaks. They planted 
and cultivated these Trees, worshipped under 
them, and sacrificed their victims under them. 
The Druids claimed the right to maintain per- 
petual fire, and once each year they compelled 
the people to put out all their fires; but per- 
mitted them to rekindle them from the yule log 
of the priests—this annual rekindling taking 
place on November eve, or the last day of 
October. The yule log was of Oak, and was 
kept burning on the Druidical altar—a stone 
structure erected under the spreading arms of 
the Tree which was the object of ancient 
British veneration and worship. The altar of 
the Druids—the ‘ cromlech ’—was rudely formed of 
upright stones, with a stone or stones resting 
horizontally on the supporting ones, after the 
manner of a table. Whilst the stem of the 
British Oak was used for the yule log, the leaves 
of the Tree furnished the priests of ancient 
Britain with the chaplets, which were always 
worn on their brows during the performance of 
s 
