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On Freemasonry. Evidences, Doctrines, And Traditions.
any circumstances , however , it was certainly considered as a place of great sanctity . Now it was a custom prevalent throughout all antiquity , not only to place the tumuli of distinguished persons near hi ghways , to remind the passenger of his final destiny , and to celebrate funeral games on the spot , but also to
consecrate them , as we have already seen , to the tutelary deities , whose protection it was considered desirable to invoke ; and hence this mound was p laced under the guardianshi p of Ell y ll Maur , or Elmur , whose name it still retains with a sli g ht variation . Here the ancient bardic fires of rejoicing were periodically kindled on the eve of the first days of May
and November ; and the custom was continued down to our own times , and onl y ceased when the hill was finall y levelled at the inclosure of the lordshi p about forty years ago ; but ¦ instead of the first , the fifth day of November was used after the reign of James I . And old people are still living who recollect practising most of the customs on this hill , which are
•described by Neogeorgus , in the fourth book of his " Popish Kingdom , " as being in common use throughout England in the reign of Elizabeth . They are correctl y descriptive of the ancient usages of our idolatrous forefathers on " the highest of hills" before the introduction of Christianity , and have been thus translated by Barnab y Googe : —
When bonfires grate , with loftie flame . In every towne doe burne ; And yong men round about with maides Doe daunce in every streete , With garlands wrought of mother-wort , Or else with vervaine sweete , And other flowers faire
many , With violets in their handes ; Whereas , as they all do fondly thinke , That who soever stands , . And thorow the flowres beholds the flame , His eyes shall feele no paine . When thus till night they daunced have , They through the fire amaine
With striving maides doe run , and all . Their hearbes they cast therein , And then with wovdes devout and prayers They solemnly begin , Desiring God that all their illes May there confounded bee ; Whereby they thinke through all that yeare From agues to be free .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry. Evidences, Doctrines, And Traditions.
any circumstances , however , it was certainly considered as a place of great sanctity . Now it was a custom prevalent throughout all antiquity , not only to place the tumuli of distinguished persons near hi ghways , to remind the passenger of his final destiny , and to celebrate funeral games on the spot , but also to
consecrate them , as we have already seen , to the tutelary deities , whose protection it was considered desirable to invoke ; and hence this mound was p laced under the guardianshi p of Ell y ll Maur , or Elmur , whose name it still retains with a sli g ht variation . Here the ancient bardic fires of rejoicing were periodically kindled on the eve of the first days of May
and November ; and the custom was continued down to our own times , and onl y ceased when the hill was finall y levelled at the inclosure of the lordshi p about forty years ago ; but ¦ instead of the first , the fifth day of November was used after the reign of James I . And old people are still living who recollect practising most of the customs on this hill , which are
•described by Neogeorgus , in the fourth book of his " Popish Kingdom , " as being in common use throughout England in the reign of Elizabeth . They are correctl y descriptive of the ancient usages of our idolatrous forefathers on " the highest of hills" before the introduction of Christianity , and have been thus translated by Barnab y Googe : —
When bonfires grate , with loftie flame . In every towne doe burne ; And yong men round about with maides Doe daunce in every streete , With garlands wrought of mother-wort , Or else with vervaine sweete , And other flowers faire
many , With violets in their handes ; Whereas , as they all do fondly thinke , That who soever stands , . And thorow the flowres beholds the flame , His eyes shall feele no paine . When thus till night they daunced have , They through the fire amaine
With striving maides doe run , and all . Their hearbes they cast therein , And then with wovdes devout and prayers They solemnly begin , Desiring God that all their illes May there confounded bee ; Whereby they thinke through all that yeare From agues to be free .