101 
In the reign of Theodosius, and by his order, occurred the 
great destruction of the temples of the gods throughout the 
empire. A striking illustration of the heathen notion of the 
actual indwelling of the numen in the image occurred during 
the destruction of the magnificent temple of Serapis at 
Alexandria. The fall of this great idol shook the popular 
belief of Egypt to its foundations. The emperor had given 
orders to destroy the temple of Serapis, but the heathens 
believed that the deity would resent the slightest affront to 
his majesty. A soldier, bolder than the rest, encouraged by 
the archbishop Theophilus, dealt a blow against the cheek of 
Serapis with a ponderous axe, and the face of the idol fell to 
the ground. The deity silently submitted to his fate. The 
idol was broken in pieces, and dragged through the streets of 
Alexandria. 
Caesar, moved by other considerations, took the axe into 
his own hands, and struck the first blow on the consecrated 
trees of the Gaul, saying to his soldiers, “ Gredite me fecisse 
nefas.” Thus fell the wood of which Lucan gives a graphic 
description,* every tree sanctified by human blood. 
Keysler tells us how long this horrid custom lingered in 
Germany, and the survival of tree worship even to his own 
day. 
Once admit Pantheisnij and you cannot exclude idolatry , 
Antiquity of Druidism . 
To proceed on tolerably sure ground in the investigation of 
this subject, we will first glance at the testimony of history. 
Caesarf gives the following account of the Continental Druids, 
derived no doubt in great part from his friend Divitiacus, 
Prince of the ^Edui, who was a Druid, and had a principality 
in Britain as well as in Gaul. He was an intimate client of 
Cicero. J 
“ They preside over sacred things, have the charge of public 
and private sacrifices, and explain their religion. To them a 
great number of youths have recourse, for the sake of acquir- 
ing instruction, and they are in great honour among them • 
for they generally settle all their disputes, both public and 
private, and if there is any transgression perpetrated, any 
* Pharsalici , iii., p. 399, &c 
X Borlase, Ant., p. 81. 
f De Bello Gallico , lib. vi., cc. 13-18. 
