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Article ACCOUNT OF DRUIDISM. Page 1 of 6 →
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Account Of Druidism.
ACCOUNT OF DRUIDISM .
PY SIR , POLWHELEv
( Concluded from Page 352 . ) FROM » 11 those views of the Druid reli gion , I have no doubt but it derived its origin irhme'diateTy ' from AJldl Dr . Borlase has drawn a long and elaborate parallel between the Druids and Persians ; where he has plainly proved that' they resembled each other , as ftrictly as possible , in every particular of reliion . It was the sublime
g doctrine of the primitive Druids of Danmonium , that the Deity was mot to be imaged b y any human figure : and the Magi of Persia , before and long after Zoroaster , admitted no statues into their temples . The Druids worshipped , indeed , the whole expanse of heaven ; which they represented by their circular temples : and the Persians held , that the whole round of heayen was their Jupiter , From all their
monuments that remain , it appears , that the Druids" never admitted of covered temples for the worship of their gods ; and the antient Persians performed all the offices of their reli gion in the open Jtir . Both the Druids and tin ; Persians worshipped their gods on the tops of the mountains , The Persians worshipped the serpent , as the symbol of their god Mithras , or the Sun : and from their Veneration for the Anguinum , and other circumstances , We may conclude that the Druids paid divine honours to the serpent . The ' Persian ' s " maintained , that
their god Mithras was born of a rock ; ' beside other absurdities of this nature : and the rock-worship of the Druids is sufficientl y known . The Druids maintained the transmigration of the soul ; and the Persians held the same doctrine . As to the priesthood , and the ceremonials of religion , the Druids , and the Persian Magi , were of the Boblest order in the state : the Druids were ranked with the British kings ; and the Magi with the kings' of Persia . The Druid riest
p was clothed in white ; the'holy vesture , called the Sagjis , was white ; the sacrificial bull was white ; the oracular horses were white . In like manner the Persian Magus was clothed in- white ; the horses of the Magi were white ; the king ' s robes' were white ; and so were the trappings of his horses . The Druids wore sandals ; so also did the Persian ^ . The Druids sacrificed hu min victims ; ' so did the Persians .
Ritual washings and purifications Were alike ' common to the Druids ' and Persians . The Druids' had their festal fires , of ivhich we have ' still instances in these western parts' of . the : island , - and the Persians Jiad also their festal fires , at the v / intei- solstice' and on the 9 th of March . The holy fires' were alike familiar to the . Druids and . the Persians . The Druids used the hol y fire as an antidote against the plague , or the murrain iri cattle } arid the Persians placed their sick before the holy fire , as of great and healing virtue , In Britain , th «'
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of Druidism.
ACCOUNT OF DRUIDISM .
PY SIR , POLWHELEv
( Concluded from Page 352 . ) FROM » 11 those views of the Druid reli gion , I have no doubt but it derived its origin irhme'diateTy ' from AJldl Dr . Borlase has drawn a long and elaborate parallel between the Druids and Persians ; where he has plainly proved that' they resembled each other , as ftrictly as possible , in every particular of reliion . It was the sublime
g doctrine of the primitive Druids of Danmonium , that the Deity was mot to be imaged b y any human figure : and the Magi of Persia , before and long after Zoroaster , admitted no statues into their temples . The Druids worshipped , indeed , the whole expanse of heaven ; which they represented by their circular temples : and the Persians held , that the whole round of heayen was their Jupiter , From all their
monuments that remain , it appears , that the Druids" never admitted of covered temples for the worship of their gods ; and the antient Persians performed all the offices of their reli gion in the open Jtir . Both the Druids and tin ; Persians worshipped their gods on the tops of the mountains , The Persians worshipped the serpent , as the symbol of their god Mithras , or the Sun : and from their Veneration for the Anguinum , and other circumstances , We may conclude that the Druids paid divine honours to the serpent . The ' Persian ' s " maintained , that
their god Mithras was born of a rock ; ' beside other absurdities of this nature : and the rock-worship of the Druids is sufficientl y known . The Druids maintained the transmigration of the soul ; and the Persians held the same doctrine . As to the priesthood , and the ceremonials of religion , the Druids , and the Persian Magi , were of the Boblest order in the state : the Druids were ranked with the British kings ; and the Magi with the kings' of Persia . The Druid riest
p was clothed in white ; the'holy vesture , called the Sagjis , was white ; the sacrificial bull was white ; the oracular horses were white . In like manner the Persian Magus was clothed in- white ; the horses of the Magi were white ; the king ' s robes' were white ; and so were the trappings of his horses . The Druids wore sandals ; so also did the Persian ^ . The Druids sacrificed hu min victims ; ' so did the Persians .
Ritual washings and purifications Were alike ' common to the Druids ' and Persians . The Druids' had their festal fires , of ivhich we have ' still instances in these western parts' of . the : island , - and the Persians Jiad also their festal fires , at the v / intei- solstice' and on the 9 th of March . The holy fires' were alike familiar to the . Druids and . the Persians . The Druids used the hol y fire as an antidote against the plague , or the murrain iri cattle } arid the Persians placed their sick before the holy fire , as of great and healing virtue , In Britain , th «'