668 
places our history on any thing like a 
solid foundation. From Cesar and 
Tacitus Sir Richard Hoare gives the 
more interesting particulars concerning 
the way of life and habits of the 
Britons: assimilating the testimonies 
of the historians to the apparent tra. 
-ees of those Britons who resided upon 
the Wiltshire downs. ‘ In treating 
of their towns and” tumuli,” he ob. 
serves, ‘“ I shall have an opportunity 
of marking the strong resemblance 
between them and the Fern?” (of Taci- 
tus.) ‘* The numerous and diversified 
mausolea of their dead, are every 
where apparent on the high grounds 
throughout England; but the habita- 
tions of the living have hitherto escaped 
unnoticed, and ineir discovery and in- 
vestigation have, fortunately, been re- 
served for us. ‘To the learned Dr. 
Stukely we are much mdebted for 
many finteresting particulars respect- 
ing the stone iemples at Abury and 
Stonehenge ; but practical experience 
has shewn us in how imperfect and 
unsatisiactory a manner his researches 
on barrows were conducted. He has 
said but little on the fortresses and 
earthen works of the Britons, and 
the sites and remains of their towns 
have totally escaped his observation. 
These will form a very prominent 
feature in my work, and must natu- 
rally excite the curiosity of the his- 
torian, and of every lover of antiquity. 
To the general eye of obseryation, 
our Wiltshire downs appear as unin. 
teresting as the moors in Yorkshire, 
or ihe fens in Lincolnshire: bleak, 
desglate, and shelterless ; and affording 
only a scanty subsistence to the nu- 
merous flocks that are pastured on 
them: yet on these apparently barren 
and uninteresting spois we find the 
‘traces cf am extensive Brilish and. Ro- 
man population ; and the modern agri- 
cullurist confesses the superior excel. 
lence of those districts heretofore in- 
habifed, and which are stil decidedly 
marked by a verdant:and more fer- 
tile soil.” 
‘ir Richard Hoare next proceeds 
to some apropriate remarks on earthen 
xcorke, (in the form of camps, circles, 
ane ditches,) and 7zmuli or Barrows ; 
and that a correct idea inay be formed 
of these Jast he has thought proper to 
iescribe then by a series of.engravings 
jaken from exisling specimens in the 
xeighbourhood of Stonehenge; repre- 
senting, i, ipe Long Barrow. 2. The 
Retrospect of Domestic Literature--- Antiquities. 
Bow! Barrow. 3. The Bell Barrow. 
4. The Druid Barrow. 5. Druid Bar- 
row, second class. 6. The Rond Bar- 
row. 7.The Twin Barrow. 8-The Cone 
Barrow. 9- The Broad Barrow : with 
varieties of ite Long and Druid Bar- 
rows. ‘The nalure of our Barrows,” 
he adds, ‘** having- been hitherto so 
very imperfectly described, I have 
thought it necessary t6 enter rather 
minutely into the subject. Many of 
my readers wiil be astonished to see so 
great a variety of design in the sepul- 
chral mémortials of the Ancient Britons 5 
and will regret, with me, that their 
history cannot be more satisfactorily 
ascertained. In the engravings, I have 
imarked the decided forms, and the 
most prominent varieties, but many 
more of the lniter might have been 
given.” 
On the most antient modes of burial 
it is hardiy necessary to follow Sir 
Richard Hoare here. The reader will 
find his remarks these of a sound an- 
tiquary. who relies for information om 
facts and the testimonies of historians. 
‘* My present researches,” he says at 
the close of the introduction, ** will 
be confined to my own county; though 
it is both my wish and intention te 
trace at some future peried, the con. 
nection between the Wiltshire tumuli 
and those of other counties. By in- 
vestigating the barrows in Wales, 
Scotland, and Ireland, and by extending 
our enquiries to the opposite shores of 
Britanny and Normandy, much real 
information might be gained, and we 
might then hope by the assistance of 
-our spades and pick-axes to ascertain 
many imporiant facts, and to prove 
with seme degree of certainly, the 
origina! colonization of our island.” 
On Sxvourton and itsneighbourhood 
Sir Richard Hoare makes -a few re- 
marks, and aftords some curious mfor- 
miation on the singular excavations 
calied Pen-Pitis. Having in his first 
Iter trom this station, mentioned the 
detached objects of antiquity in its 
immediate neighbourhcod, he enters 
uton the wide and connected range of 
chalk-hills which extend across Wilt- 
shire into the counties of Hants and 
Dorset; more particularly notiemg the 
barrows on Klackheath, Charnage, and 
Keesley Bowns. . Many of theseappear 
to have been opened and examined no 
Jonger agoilfan 1807. Remnants of a 
simular kind form the principal diseo- 
verics ia the third iter. hc at 
The 
