excellent proposal of introducing his important Essay on Castrametation into an appendix, has also suggested to me the idea that an Essay on Druidism would give great value to the present work. I had commenced a series of notes explanatory of the rites and history of Druidism; but upon more mature reflection, I determined to collect all the information which I had to communicate on that subject; embracing a considerable quantity which had been amassed by my son, into one essay; which I have now appended to the narrative; and in which, I flatter myself, the curious reader will find the apparent incongruities of the rites and tenets of this mystical religion satisfactorily explained and accounted for, and the whole digested into one consistent system.

INTRODUCTION.

GENTLE READER !

If thou art given to the study of thy country's antiquities, and hast felt thy heart glow within thee as thou hast read of

Spenser's fairy themes

And those that Milton loved in early years.

thou wilt not despise this attempt to clothe in modern language, a very ancient tale.

If the study of antiquity hath taken deep hold on thy mind, thou wilt have acquired that habit of cautious discrimination for which antiquaries are so proverbial! In such case thou wilt not care to perplex thyself by judging of the authenticity of any work by its internal evidence, but will rather list to what it's au

thor shall say concerning it. It is in vain, therefore, to ask thee to peruse the following tale, until I have satisfied thee of its genuine antiquity; which task I will now address myself unto, not doubting but that I shall perform the same in such manner, that he who shall have any misgivings concerning it must be a sceptic outright: a man who would even question the authenticity of the veritable Geoffrey of Monmouth, or the veracity of the truthseeking Sammes!

It is an unco-weary thing to tow against the stream of time for eighteen centuries in quest of a pedigree; but it were happy for the author, could he make as good a title to some of the unclaimed dividends in the bank of England, as the prototype of this little book can make to a place in the Archives of the first century.

The materials of the following tale are gathered from a MS. written in the Armoric tongue, apparently about 1700 years ago. Now, as in proving the descent of an ancient family, it is not necessary to begin with Adam and Eve; and it hath been even held by some moderns, that it is not essential to prove your kith and kin with Noah ;-(contrary, however, to the established practice of antiquity in that

respect, which hath always dragged forth her heroes from among the unclean beasts of the Ark ;)-so now I shall pass over the earlier history of this work, and come at once to that æra in which all good families do spring to light, videlicet-the dark ages. Here, happily, I can refer to one of far greater wit than myself, who hath well described how marvellously this valuable MS. was discovered, after it had lain hid for many centuries. Turn, gentle reader, to thy Grafton, and open his chroni cles at the fourth part, and there thou wilt find it thus written:

"About XXX yeres hence it happened in Wiltshire at Ivye Church about 2 myles from Salisburie, as men digged to make a foundation, they found an holow stone covered with another stone, wherein they founde a Booke, having in it little aboue XX leaves (as they sayde) of very thick Velume, wherein was something written. But when it was shewed to ye Priestes and Chanons which were there, they coulde not reade it. Wherefore, after they had tossed it from one to another (by the meanes whereof it was torne) they did neglect and cast it aside. Long after, a piece thereof happened to

come to my hands: which notwithstanding it was all to rent and defaced, I shewed to Mayster Rycharde Pace, then chiefe secretary to King Henry the viij; whereof he exceedingly rejoyced. But because it was partly rent, and partlye defaced and blurred with wet that had fallen out, he could not finde any one sentence perfite. Notwithstanding, after long beholding he shewed me, it seemed that the sayde booke conteyned some ancient monuments of this Isle."

It were long to tell thee, gentle reader, the various hands through which this treasure. passed until it happily reached mine; suffice to say, it now rests with one who is willing to share with thee the benefit thereof. And if Mayster Richard Pace did exceedingly rejoyce' though he could not finde 'any one sentence perfite;' what transports should be thine, who has it presented to thee translated, enlarged, enriched and improved, in a manner passing thy conception!

I had, indeed, purposed to have presented thee with a mere transcript, or fac-simile thereof; but, recollecting how the original had been tossed about from one to another, by the