_Of the number of the stones. Of the altar-stone. Of what has
been found in digging, about the temple. A plate of tin of the
Druids writing. A plate of gold, supposed to be of the Druids
writing._
Thus have we finished the work, or principal part of this celebrated
wonder; properly the temple or sacred structure, as it may be called.
Tho’ its loftiest crest be compos’d but of one stone, laid upon
another. “A work, as Mr. _Webb_ says justly, p. 65. built with much
art, order and proportion.” And it must be own’d, that they who had a
notion, that it was an unworthy thing, to pretend to confine the deity
in room and space, could not easily invent a grander design than this,
for sacred purposes: nor execute it in a more magnificent manner. Here
space indeed is mark’d out and defin’d: but with utmost freedom and
openness. Here is a _kebla_ intimating, but not bounding the presence
of the Deity. Here the variety and harmony of four differing circles
presents itself continually new, every step we take, with opening and
closing light and shade. Which way so ever we look, art and nature make
a composition of their highest gusto, create a pleasing astonishment,
very apposite to sacred places.
The great oval consists of 10 uprights, the inner with the altar, of
20, the great circle of 30, the inner of 40. 10, 20, 30, 40 together,
make 100 upright stones. 5 imposts of the great oval, 30 of the great
circle, the 2 stones standing upon the bank of the _area_, the stone
lying within the entrance of the _area_, and that standing without.
There seems to have been another stone lying upon the ground, by
the _vallum_ of the court, directly opposite to the entrance of the
avenue. All added together, make just 140 stones, the number of which
_Stonehenge_, a whole temple, is compos’d. Behold the solution of the
mighty problem, the magical spell is broke, which has so long perplex’d
the vulgar! they think ’tis an ominous thing to count the true number
of the stones, and whoever does so, shall certainly die after it. Thus
the Druids contented themselves to live in huts and caves: whilst they
employ’d many thousands of men, a whole county, to labour at these
publick structures, dedicated to the Deity.
Our altar here is laid toward the upper end of the _adytum_, at
present flat on the ground, and squeez’d (as it were) into it, by the
weight of the ruins upon it. ’Tis a kind of blue coarse marble, such
as comes from _Derbyshire_, and laid upon tombs in our churches and
church-yards. Thus _Virgil_ describes an ancient altar, after the
_Etruscan_ fashion, and which probably had remain’d from patriarchal
times.
_Ædibus in mediis nudoque sub ætheris axe
Ingens ara fuit._———— Æne. II.
_Servius_ upon the IIId _Georg._ says, in the middle of a temple was
the place of the Deity: the rest was only ornamental. This altar is
plac’d a little above the _focus_ of the upper end of the ellipsis. Mr.
_Webb_ says, p. 56. the altar is 4 foot broad, 16 in length. 4 foot is
2 cubits 2 palms, which at four times measures 16 foot. I believe its
breadth is 2 cubits 3 palms, _i. e._ 1 and a half: and that its first
intended length was 10 cubits, equal to the breadth of the _trilithon_
before which it lies. But ’tis very difficult to come at its true
length. ’Tis 20 inches thick, a just cubit, and has been squar’d. It
lies between the two centers, that of the compasses and that of the
string: leaving a convenient space quite round it, no doubt, as much as
was necessary for their ministration.
[Illustration: _P. 30._ TAB. XVI.
_The Section of Stonehenge looking towards the Entrance._]
Mr. _Webb_ says, the heads of oxen, and deer, and other beasts have
been found upon digging in and about _Stonehenge_, as divers then
living could testify, undoubted reliques of sacrifices, together with
much charcoal, meaning wood-ashes. Mr. _Camden_ says, mens bones have
been found hereabouts. He means in the barrows adjacent, and I saw
such thrown out by the rabbets very near the temple. But eternally to
be lamented is the loss of that tablet of tin, which was found at this
place, in the time of King _Henry_ VIII. (the _Æra_ of restitution of
learning and of pure religion) inscrib’d with many letters, but in
so strange a character, that neither Sir _Thomas Elliot_ a learned
antiquary, nor Mr. _Lilly_ master of St. _Paul_’s school, could make
any thing out of it. Mr. _Sammes_ may be in the right, who judges it
to have been _Punic_; I imagine if we call it _Irish_, we shall not
err much. No doubt but it was a memorial of the founders, wrote by
the _Druids_: and had it been preserv’d till now, would have been an
invaluable curiosity. To make the reader some amends for such a loss, I
have given a specimen of supposed Druid writing, out of _Lambecius_’s
account of the Emperor’s library at _Vienna_. ’Tis wrote on a very thin
plate of gold, with a sharp-pointed instrument. It was in an urn found
at _Vienna_, roll’d up in several cases of other metal, together with
funeral _exuviæ_. It was thought by the curious, one of those epistles,
which the _Celtic_ people were wont to send to their friends in the
other world. So certain a hope of a future state had the _Druids_
infus’d into them. The reader may divert himself with endeavouring
to explain it. The writing upon plates of gold or tin is exceeding
ancient, as we see in _Job_ xix. 24.
[Illustration]
_Plutarch_ in his pamphlet _de dæmonio Socratis_ tells a similar
story. “About the time of _Agesilaus_, they found a brazen tablet in
the sepulchre of _Alcmena_ at _Thebes_, wrote in characters unknown,
but seem’d to be _Egyptian_. _Chonuphis_, the most learned of the
_Egyptian_ prophets then, being consulted upon it, confirm’d it, and
said it was wrote about the time of _Hercules_ and _Proteus_ king in
_Egypt_.” _Tzetzes_, chil. 2. hist. 44. mentions _Proteus_ a king in
lower _Egypt_ by the sea side, pretends he was son of _Neptune_ and
_Phœnicia_, throwing him up thereby to very ancient times, those of the
first famous navigators, our _Hercules_ and the _Phœnicians_. He is
said to have lived in the island afterward call’d _Pharos_, from the
watch-tower there erected. Here _Homer_ sings, that _Proteus_ diverts
himself with his _phocæ_ or sea-calves, most undoubtedly his ships.
But at that time of day, every thing new and strange was told by the
_Greeks_ in a mythologic way.
In the year 1635, as they were plowing by the barrows about _Normanton_
ditch, they found a large quantity of excellent pewter, as much as
they sold at a low price for 5_l._ says Mr. _Aubry_ in his manuscript
collections, relating to antiquities of this sort. There are several of
these ditches, being very small in breadth, which run across the downs.
I take them for boundaries of hundreds, parishes, _&c._ Such as the
reader may observe in my _Plate_ XXXI. of the barrows in _Lake-field_.
I suspect this too was a tablet with an inscription on it, but falling
into the hands of the countrymen, they could no more discern the
writing, than interpret it. No doubt but this was some of the old
_British stannum_, which the _Tyrian Hercules_, sirnam’d _Melcarthus_,
first brought _ex Cassiteride insula_, or _Britain_. Which _Hercules_
liv’d in _Abraham_’s time, or soon after.
Mr. _Webb_ tells us, the Duke of _Buckingham_ dug about _Stonehenge_:
I fear much to the prejudice of the work. He himself did the like, and
found what he imagin’d was the cover of a _thuribulum_. He would have
done well to have given us a drawing of it. But whatever it was, vases
of incense, oil, flower, salt, wine and holy water, were used by all
nations in their religious ceremonies.
Mr. _Thomas Hayward_, late owner of _Stonehenge_, dug about it, as
he acquainted Lord _Winchelsea_ and myself. He found heads of oxen
and other beasts bones, and nothing else. In 1724. when I was there,
_Richard Hayns_ an old man of _Ambresbury_, whom I employed to dig
for me in the barrows, found some little worn-out _Roman_ coins at
_Stonehenge_, among the earth rooted up by the rabbets. He sold one of
them for half a crown, to Mr. _Merril_ of _Golden Square_, who came
thither whilst I was at the place. The year before, _Hayns_ was one of
the workmen employ’d by Lord _Carlton_ to dig clay on _Harradon_ hill,
east of _Ambresbury_, where they found many _Roman_ coins, which I saw.
I suspect he pretended to find those at _Stonehenge_, only for sake
of the reward. My friend the late Dr. _Harwood_ of _Doctors-Commons_
told me, he was once at _Stonehenge_ with such sort of _Roman_ coins
in his pockets, and that one of his companions would have persuaded
him, to throw some of them into the rabbit-holes: but the Doctor was
more ingenuous. Nevertheless were never so many such coins found in
_Stonehenge_, they would prove nothing more, than that the work was
in being, when the _Romans_ were here; and which we are assured of
already. I have a brass coin given me by _John Collins_ Esq; collector
of the excise at _Stamford_. The heads of _Julius_ and _Augustus_
averse: the reverse a crocodile, palm-branch and garland. COL. NEM. the
colony of _Nemausus_ in _France_. It was found upon _Salisbury_ plain;
and might be lost there before the _Roman_ conquest of _Britain_ under
_Claudius_, by people of _France_ coming hither; or in after-ages: no
matter which.
_July 5 1723._ By Lord _Pembroke_’s direction, I dug on the inside of
the altar about the middle: 4 foot along the edge of the stone, 6 foot
forward toward the middle of the _adytum_. At a foot deep, we came
to the solid chalk mix’d with flints, which had never been stir’d.
The altar was exactly a cubit thick, 20 inches and ⅘; but broken in
two or three pieces by the ponderous masses of the impost, and one
upright stone of that _trilithon_ which stood at the upper end of the
_adytum_, being fallen upon it. Hence appears the commodiousness of
the foundation for this huge work. They dug holes in the solid chalk,
which would of itself keep up the stones, as firm as if a wall was
built round them. And no doubt but they ramm’d up the interstices
with flints. But I had too much regard to the work, to dig any where
near the stones. I took up an oxe’s tooth, above ground, without the
_adytum_ on the right hand of the lowermost _trilithon_, northward.
And this is all the account, of what has been found by digging at
_Stonehenge_, which I can give.
[Illustration: _P. 32._ TAB. XVII.
_An inward View of Stonehenge Aug. 1722. from the north._
_Stukeley delin._ _V^{dr}. Gucht Sc._]