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

We learn repeatedly from Sanchoniathon, Porphyry, and other ancient authors quoted by Eusebius in the Præparatio Evangelica, that the first sages of the world had just and true notions of the nature of the Deity, conformable to those of the Christians; that, in their hieroglyphic way of writing, they designed the Deity and his mysterious nature by the sacred figure of the circle, serpent, and wings. Of these, the circle meant the Fountain of all Being; for, this being the most perfect and comprehensive of all geometrical figures, they designed it for the symbol of the First and Supreme Being; whose resemblance we cannot find, whose centre is every where, and whose circumference is no where. The serpent symbolized 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 symbolized that divine Person or Emanation from the former, commonly called Anima Mundi, but the Egyptians called him KNEPH, which in Hebrew signifies winged.

ABURY;

ABURY;

A MAGNIFICENT DRUIDICAL TEMPLE OF THE SERPENTINE KIND.

ABOUT a mile from Silbury-Hill is Abury, a stupendous monument of Druidism, first noticed by the inquisitive Mr. Aubrey, and since accurately surveyed and commented on by the indefatigable Dr. Stukeley. A village of that name being built within its circuit, and out of its stones; 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, sixty feet broad; and a ditch within it, of the same breadth. The diameter is one thousand four hundred feet, the circumference four thousand eight hundred feet, and the area inclosed twenty-two acres; through the centre of which runs the high road from Marlborough to Bath. The first circle of stones within this area is thirteen thousand feet diameter, and consists of one hundred stones, from fif- . teen to seventeen feet square, reduced, in 1722,

hundred ?

1722, to forty, of which, only seventeen were standing, and about forty-three feet asunder, measuring from the centre of each stone.

Within this great circle were two lesser, each consisting of two concentric circles, the outermost of thirty, the inner of twelve, stones, of the same size, and at the same distance from each other as the others. The southernmost of these circular temples had a single stone in its centre twenty-one feet high: the northernmost a cell, or kebla, formed of three stones, 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 stones remained standing in 1723, and six down: of the south temple fourteen, half of them standing.

In the south 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 stones have been broken by burning, to build houses with; and others buried, to gain the ground they stood on for pasture. The two original entrances to this stupendous work were from the south-east and the west, and each had an

avenue of stones. The first of these, or Kennetavenue, was a mile long, of one hundred and ninety stones on a side, of which remained seventy-two, in 1720, terminating at OvertonHill, which overhangs the town of West 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 stones, 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 stones, of which, he says, one side was nearly entire; the other side 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 west side of Abury goes another avenue to Beckhampton, of the same length, and composed of the same number of stones, of which scarce any remain. On the north of this avenue was Longstones; a cove of three stones, facing the south-east; its back made of one of the stones of the avenue. It stood on a little eminence, and served as a

chapel.

7

chapel. This stone and another flat one are each sixteen 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 stones employed to form this stupendous work of Druidism, with its avenues and Overton-Temple, at six hundred and fifty. He supposed that altogether, when entire, it represented the Deity by a serpent 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 present there only remains a few stones standing of this once magnificent and extraordinary monument of Druidical architecture, so constructed, and of such materials, as to warrant the supposition, that neither the ravages of time, nor the chance of incident, could so effectually have obliterated it for many ages to come.

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

the