238 



Letter from the Author of " Nenia Britannic a" 



called in the Hebrew a pillar, or by the Septuagint Mascoithim. Clemens of 

 Alexandria, Lib. I., says they were common to all the Eastern nations. The 

 Brahmins worshipped the Deity under this similitude (De la Wulf) ; Jupiter 

 Amnion under the similitude of a conic stone (Quintus Curtius) ; Apollo under 

 a stone like a pyramid (Pausanias, Lib. I.). The Jews erected stones on every high 

 hill and under every green tree (II. Kings, xvii., 10). It is certain that rude 

 stone worship prevailed over all Syria, Egypt, and Greece, and we must not 

 wonder that in Britain (where there can be no doubt an Eastern people resorted, 

 particularly the Phoenicians) that single stone worship was introduced. Prom 

 this previous consideration, I ventured to pronounce the single obeliscal conic 

 stone detached from the temple of Stonehenge as one of the similar order to 

 which both sacred and profane history refer, and were I permitted to hazard an 

 opinion in this delicate fastidious age, I should not scruple to assert by many 

 convincing analogies that Stonehenge was erected as a temple to the Deity per- 

 sonified or typified by this conic stone, which, by its form — not contaminated by 

 the tool — is in every respect absolutely dissimilar to any of those appropriated to 

 the temple. The pyramidal shape is another reason why it challenges the des- 

 cription which may justly incline me to believe it of secondary origin to the 

 single Bethel, and therefore applicable to the Canaanitic order, or worship of 

 fire, and more avowedly so, as it is placed to the east or sunrise in the front of the 

 adytum of the temple, unquestionably so proved by the five trilithons, which 

 form a parabola to the opening before the altar and exactly opening to the eastern 

 position of the stone. You cannot now be surprised that I should deem the 

 temple of Mithraic import, and of secondary origin to the Bethel, I mean of a 

 later period ; if Pellettier is right in his History of the Celts, making them 

 one and the same people with the Persians, Syrians, and Phoenicians, their 

 language, customs, and religion being similar. Though History has not justified 

 the fact, yet I think by the most convincing cognition we may be enabled to 

 trace the Eastern colouring into this island, to whom most of our open and un- 

 hewn stone temples or circles may be with the greatest colour of truth ascribed. 

 If the consequitive arrangement of this argument may have weight, then a clear 

 discrimination may be applied to the sepulchres surrounding the temple. Those 

 in which the entire skeletons are found may fairly be attributed to the Patri- 

 archal or first order of Bethel worship ; and those in which urns are found 

 with ashes to the Canaanitic or Mithraic order, the worshippers of fire, Bel, or 

 Baal. Thus, my dear Sir, by the favor of a quiet and calm inspection of Stone- 

 henge in your company, unprejudiced by any wishes on the subject, I have briefly 

 transcribed a few notes to justify my opinion on the history of your celebrated 

 Temple ; being happy to find that this extremely curious and most antient structure 

 has engaged the attention of gentlemen more able than myself to expand on the 

 subject, and who have a more ready access to those materials which I am not in 

 possession of. It is an absurd idea that Mithraic worship was always accompanied 

 with fire- sacrifice ; and if I am right this will account for the few vestiges of 

 Charb discovered on breaking the ground near the temple. I think it not 

 probable that the interior circle of single granatic stones was a subsequent 

 erection. Both our observations, I think, agreed on this particular. They were 

 used for the libations of oil, and chosen as a harder stone to prevent absorption. 

 They could not have been conveniently introduced through the trilithons if of 



