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Article ON THE RELIGION OP THE CELTS, AND THE CU... ← Page 6 of 7 →
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On The Religion Op The Celts, And The Cu...
below . They then proceed to kill the beasts for sacrifice . They have a conceit , that a decoction * of the misselto will ( if * given to any barren animal ) make it fruitful , and that it is a most sovereign remedy against all sorts of poison . Ovid refers to the misselto in the following verse : —
' Ad viscum Druidse , Druidse clamare solebant . ' " ¦ D ¦ ' Kun , ruids , to the misselto , they sting . ' " Campden ' s Briiannica , p , 15 . Prom hence has arisen the custom , which prevails in some parts
of England of hanging up a bunch of mistletoe during the festivities of Christmas ; and the vestiges of the computation , said to be made by nights and not "b y days , still remain the words " se ' nnight" and " fortnight . " Prom all that has been adduced , the following inferences may be drawn : —
First . —That the religion of the Celts was derived from an Oriental origin . The adoration or religious deference given to trees , rivers , and springs of water must have been caused by the great comfort and
delight experienced from the presence of shade and coolness , and by the prevention of thirst in an eastern climate , where the heat of the sun is excessive , and where immense tracts of the sandy desert render a well an object of the highest importance both to man and animals , an advantage which can hardly be estimated in more northern latitudes . This is referred to in Ps . lxiii . 1 .
The priests were likewise instructed in the astronomical sciences , in the movements of the planets , and the figures of the constellations ; a knowledge which according to the Book of Job , must have existed in the East at a very early period , and Belinus or Baal was worshipped as the deity of the sun in the mythology of Egypt .
^ Secondly . — -That Druidism , in the points of initiation and obligation , corresponded with the mysteries of Eleusis , and held tenets in common with those of the Masonic Order . This is confirmed in a remarkable manner by the statement already made , that the Druids worshipped the four elements , and by the reasons given for their belief in this doctrine .
In the Masonic Magazine for July ( p , 477 ) , it will be seen , that it was strongly enforced in the " Mysteries of Eleusis . " According to Lord Carlisle ' s " Diary " ( p . 199 )—" This town is stated to be twelve miles distant from Athens , and it is stated that there must be much interesting scope for excavation here . The rocky hill of the Acropolis immediately adjoining must probably have many subterranean facilities for the processes of initiation . "
The estimation , likewise , in which the serpent was held , referred to in the Book of Wisdom of Solomon ( xi . 15 ) , proves that this was a religious tenet in the earliest ages ( Masonic Magazine , p . 478 and 554 ) , and the profound secrecy observed in initiation , and the subsequent obligations , as well the retainraont of tradition as the sole means of communication , shows that a connection still exists between the times past and those present .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Religion Op The Celts, And The Cu...
below . They then proceed to kill the beasts for sacrifice . They have a conceit , that a decoction * of the misselto will ( if * given to any barren animal ) make it fruitful , and that it is a most sovereign remedy against all sorts of poison . Ovid refers to the misselto in the following verse : —
' Ad viscum Druidse , Druidse clamare solebant . ' " ¦ D ¦ ' Kun , ruids , to the misselto , they sting . ' " Campden ' s Briiannica , p , 15 . Prom hence has arisen the custom , which prevails in some parts
of England of hanging up a bunch of mistletoe during the festivities of Christmas ; and the vestiges of the computation , said to be made by nights and not "b y days , still remain the words " se ' nnight" and " fortnight . " Prom all that has been adduced , the following inferences may be drawn : —
First . —That the religion of the Celts was derived from an Oriental origin . The adoration or religious deference given to trees , rivers , and springs of water must have been caused by the great comfort and
delight experienced from the presence of shade and coolness , and by the prevention of thirst in an eastern climate , where the heat of the sun is excessive , and where immense tracts of the sandy desert render a well an object of the highest importance both to man and animals , an advantage which can hardly be estimated in more northern latitudes . This is referred to in Ps . lxiii . 1 .
The priests were likewise instructed in the astronomical sciences , in the movements of the planets , and the figures of the constellations ; a knowledge which according to the Book of Job , must have existed in the East at a very early period , and Belinus or Baal was worshipped as the deity of the sun in the mythology of Egypt .
^ Secondly . — -That Druidism , in the points of initiation and obligation , corresponded with the mysteries of Eleusis , and held tenets in common with those of the Masonic Order . This is confirmed in a remarkable manner by the statement already made , that the Druids worshipped the four elements , and by the reasons given for their belief in this doctrine .
In the Masonic Magazine for July ( p , 477 ) , it will be seen , that it was strongly enforced in the " Mysteries of Eleusis . " According to Lord Carlisle ' s " Diary " ( p . 199 )—" This town is stated to be twelve miles distant from Athens , and it is stated that there must be much interesting scope for excavation here . The rocky hill of the Acropolis immediately adjoining must probably have many subterranean facilities for the processes of initiation . "
The estimation , likewise , in which the serpent was held , referred to in the Book of Wisdom of Solomon ( xi . 15 ) , proves that this was a religious tenet in the earliest ages ( Masonic Magazine , p . 478 and 554 ) , and the profound secrecy observed in initiation , and the subsequent obligations , as well the retainraont of tradition as the sole means of communication , shows that a connection still exists between the times past and those present .