This is farther confirmed by Stukeley in the following paffage in his Abury.

We learn repeatedly from Sanchoniathon, Porphyry, and other ancient authors quoted by Eufebius in the Præparatio Evangelica, that the first fages of the world had just and true notions of the nature of the Deity, conformable to thofe of the Chriftians; that, in their hieroglyphic way of writing, they defigned the Deity and his myfterious nature by the facred figure of the circle, ferpent, and wings. Of these, the circle meant the Foun tain of all Being; for, this being the most perfect and comprehenfive of all geometrical figures, they defigned it for the symbol of the Firft and Supreme Being; whose refemblance we cannot find, whofe centre is every where, and whofe circumference is no where. The ferpent fymbolized the Son, or first divine emanation from the Supreme. This they called by the name of Ptha, which is derived from the Hebrew, meaning the WORD. The wings fymbolized that divine Person or Emanation from the former, commonly called Anima Mundi, but the Egyptians called him KNEPH, which in Hebrew fignifies winged,

ABURY;

A BURY;

A MAGNIFICENT DRUIDICAL TEMPLE OF

THE SERPENTINE KIND.

ABOUT a mile from Silbury-Hill is Abury, a ftupendous monument of Druidism, first noticed by the inquifitive Mr. Aubrey, and fince accurately furveyed and commented on by the indefatigable Dr. Stukeley. A village of that name being built within its circuit, and out of its ftones; the gardens, orchards, and other inclosures, have both disfigured and concealed the great original plan.

The whole is environed with an immense circular rampart, or terrace, of earth, fixty feet broad; and a ditch within it, of the same breadth. The diameter is one thousand four hundred feet, the circumference four-thoufand eight hundred feet, and the area inclosed twenty-two acres; through the centre of which runs the high road from Marlborough to Bath. The firft circle of ftones within this area is thirteen thousand feet diameter, and confifts of one hundred ftones, from fifteen to seventeen feet fquare, reduced, in 1722,

to

to forty, of which, only seventeen were ftanding, and about forty-three feet asunder, meafuring from the centre of each stone.

Within this great circle, were two leffer, each confifting of two concentric circles, the outermoft of thirty, the inner of twelve, ftones, of the fame fize, and at the fame diftance from each other as the others. The fouthernmost of these circular temples had a fingle ftone in its centre twenty-one feet high; the northernmoft a cell or kebla, formed of three ftones, placed with an obtuse angle, towards each opening to the north-east; before which lay the altar, as at Stonehenge. Both these temples were almost entire about the year 1716; of the north temple, outer circle, only three ftones remained standing in 1723, and fix down of the fouth temple fourteen, half of them standing.

'In the fouth end of the line, connecting the centres of these two temples, is a middlesized stone, with a hole in it, perhaps to fasten the victims to. Numbers of these ftones have been broken by burning, to build houses with; and others buried, to gain the ground they ftood on for pafture. The two original entrances to this ftupendous work were from the fouth-eaft and the weft, and each had an

avenue of ftones. The first of these, or Kennet avenue, was a mile long, of one hundred and ninety ftones on a fide, of which remained seventy-two, in 1720, terminating at OvertonHill, which overhangs the town of Weft Kennet, and on which was another double circle of forty, and eighteen other stones.

This was called, by the common people, the Sanctuary, and is described by Mr. Aubrey as a double circle of ftones, four or five feet high; the diameter of the outer circle forty yards, and of the inner fifteen: many were fallen, and now there is not one left. He speaks of the wall leading to it, set with large ftones, of which, he fays, one fide was nearly entire; the other fide wanted a great many. He noticed only one avenue from Abury to Overton-Hill, having no apprehension of the double curve it makes: but he erred in saying there was a circular ditch on Overton-Hill. From the weft fide of Abury goes another avenue to Beckhampton, of the fame length, and compofed of the fame number of stones, of which scarce any remain. On the north of this avenue was Longftones; a cove of three ftones, facing the fouth-eaft; its back made of one of the ftones of the avenue. It ftood on a little eminence, and served as a chapel

chapel. This ftone and another flat one are each fixteen feet high and broad, and three and a half thick: the third carried off. Aubrey calls these the Devil's Quoits. Not far from them is Longstone Long-Barrow.

Dr. Stukeley calculated the total number of ftones employed to form this ftupendous work of Druidism, with its avenues and Overton-Temple, at fix hundred and fifty. He supposed that altogether, when entire, it represented the Deity by a ferpent and circle; the former represented by the two avenues, Overton-Temple being its head; the latter by the great work within the vallum at Abury.

At prefent, there only remains a few stones standing of this once magnificent and extraordinary monument of Druidical architecture, fo conftructed, and of fuch materials, as to warrant the fuppofition, that neither the ravages of time, nor the chance of incident, could fo effectually have obliterated it for many ages to come.

Windmill-Hill, North of Abury, is encompaffed with a circular trench, covered with barrows; in one of which Dr. Stukeley found The ftones employed in all those works, from fifty to feventy tons weight, are

an urn.

the