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cubits. Now thirty times four cubits is twice fixty, and thirty times two cubits is fixty; fo that thrice fixty cubits completes a circle, whofe diameter is fixty cubits. Thus a ftone and an interval, in the outward circle, make three fquares, two allotted to the ftone; one to the interval. This general defign may be feen in the feven ftones now remaining at the grand entrance. The ftones of the outward circle are four cubits broad, two thick, and nine high; on the top of every two of them, are placed head-ftones, as impofts or cornices : These impofts are fix cubits long, two broad, and one and a half high; the uprights diminifh a little every way, fo as at the top to be but three cubits and a half broad, whereby the impofts project over the uprights, both within and without. In its perfection, the outward circle confifted of fixty ftones, viz. thirty uprights, and thirty impofts; of these seventeen uprights are left ftanding, eleven contiguous to the grand entrance, and five impofts upon them; another upright leans on a ftone of the inner circle. There are fix more lying on the ground, whole, or in pieces; there is but one impoft more in its proper place, and but two more lying on the ground; fo that twenty-two are carried away by rude and facrilegious hands. Five cubits inwards, there is another circle of leffer ftones. The ftones of this are truly parallelograms; their proportion is two cubits broad, one thick, and four and a half high, and were forty in number. But nineteen are left, eleven ftanding in fitu; the walk between thefe two circles is three hundred paces in circumference.

Having paffed the fecond circle, you behold the cell, or adytum, which is an ellipfis. It is compofed of trilithons, two uprights, and one impoft; they are five in number, and ftill remain. Each trilithon ftands independent of its neighbour; they alfo diminish to the top, which take off from their weight. The tenons, or mortoises, are particularly formed, being about ten inches and a half in diameter, and resembling half an egg, rather than

an

an hemifphere, and fo effectually keep both uprights and impofts from luxations. Lord Winchelsea and the Doctor took a walk upon one of these trilithons, but it was thought a frightful fituation.

The whole number of ftones is thus computed: the great oval confifted of ten uprights, the inner, with the altar, of twenty, the great circle, of thirty, the inner, of forty. Thefe, with five impofts of the great oval, thirty of the great circle, and fome more broken and fcattered, completed the temple, making in all one hundred and forty ftones. In the reign of Henry VIII. a tin tablet was found here, infcribed with ftrange characters: this was loft, which, if understood, might have difcovered fomething very curious.

Dr. Stukely obferved, half a mile north of Stonehenge, and across the valley, a hippodrome, or horsecourfe; it is included between two ditches, running parallel eaft and weft; they are three hundred and fifty feet afunder it is one hundred thousand feet long. The barrows round this monument are numerous, and remarkable, being generally bell fashion; yet is there great variety in their diameters, and their manner of compofition. These were fingle fepulchres, as appeared from many that were opened. On the west fide of one was an entire fegment, made from center to circumference; it was good earth quite through, except a coat of chalk of about two feet thick, covering it quite over, under the turf. Hence appears the manner of making those barrows, which was to dig up the turf for a great ways round, till the barrow was brought to its intended bulk; then with the chalk dug out of the furrounding ditch they powdered it all over. At the center was found a skeleton perfect, of a reasonable fize, and with the head lying northward. On opening a double barrow, the compofition was thus; after the turf was taken off, there appeared a layer of chalk, and then fine garden mould. About three feet below the furface, was a layer of flints, humouring the convexity

of

of the barrow: this being a foot thick, refted on a layer of foft mould, in which was inclofed an urn, full of bones. The urn was of unbaked clay, of a dark reddish colour, and crumbled into pieces. It had been rudely wrought, with fmall mouldings round the verge, and other circular channels on the outfide. The bones had been burnt; the collar-bone, and one fide of the under jaw, were entire; there was a large quantity of female ornaments mixt with the bones, as beads of divers colours, many of them amber, with holes to ftring them; and many of the button fort were covered with metal."

It may be proper juft to remark, that Stonehenge has fince undergone an alteration in its appearance, part of it having, about three years ago, fell to the earth. We faw and converfed with fome thepherd boys, who were loitering around the immenfe pile, and from whom we learnt that the fall occafioned a violent concuffion of the ground. This must have been expected, and excited, to perfons in its vicinity, no fmall aftonishment.

Dr. Warton has, in the following fonnet, ingeniously interwoven the fentiments of the learned on this fubje&t.

WRITTEN AT STONEHENGE.

Thou nobleft monument of Albion's ifle!
Whether by Merlin's aid from Scythia's shore
To Amber's fatal plain Pendragon bore,
Huge frame of giant-hands, the mighty pile,
T'entomb his Britons, flain by Hengift's guile:
Or Druid priests, fprinkl'd with human gore,
Taught, 'mid thy maffy maze, their myftic lore:
Or Danish chiefs, enrich'd with favage spoil,
To victory's idol vaft an unhewn shrine,
Rear'd the rude heap: or, in thy hallow'd round,
Repose the kings of Brutus' genuine line;

Or here thofe kings in folemn ftate were crown'd;
Studious to trace thy wond'rous origin,

We mufe on many an ancient tale renown'd.

VOL. VIII.

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These ruins are, in their appearance, peculiarly fo lemn, and their ifolated fituation in the midst of the plains, heightens the melancholy fenfations with which they are contemplated. This idea is taken up with fuccefs in the following lines, which will please you.

STONEHENGE.

BY THE LATE ROBERT LOVELL.

Was it a spirit on yon fhapeless pile?
It wore, methought, an hoary Druid's form,
Mufing on ancient days! the dying ftorm
Moan'd in his lifted locks; thou night! the while
Doft listen to his fad harp's wild complaint,
Mother of fhadows! as to thee he pours
The broken ftrain, and plaintively deplores
The fall of Druid fame! Hark! murmurs faint
Breathe on the wavy air! and now more loud
Swells the deep dirge, accuftom'd to complain
Of holy rites unpaid, and of the crowd,

Whofe careless steps thefe facred haunts profane,
O'er the wild plain the hurrying tempeft flies,
And 'mid the ftorm unheard-the song of forrow

dies!

I have dwelt the longer on this curious phænomenon, because it is on all hands confeft to be the most interefting relic of antiquity, by which Britain ftands diftinguished. Its form, fituation, and hiftory, are calculated to generate the profoundcft impreffions.

Driving along, about fix miles over these dreary plains, we foon reached the neat and pleasant city of SALISBURY. It lies in a vale, and is of confiderable extent. The streets are, in general, fpacious, and built at right angles. The Avon runs through them in canals, lined with brick, and this diftribution of water forms a fingular appearance. It has also been remarked, that no ftream runs through that part of the city in habited by the butchers, and, confequently, where it was moft wanted. There are no vaults in the churches,

nor

nor cellars any where to be found in the town, the foil being fo moift, that the water rifes up in graves dug in the cathedral. Here is a fpacious market-place, in which ftands a fine town-houfe. The manufactures of the place are cloths of various kinds, and cutlery of almost every description. Befides the cathedral, there are, in this city, three other churches and three charity fchools, in which 170 children are taught and clothed. It has, likewife, an hofpital or college, founded 1683, by Bishop Ward, for ten widows of poor clergymen. This does honour to his memory.

The cathedral of Salisbury demands special attention. It was founded 1219 by Bishop Poor, who removed hither from Old Sarum, upon which the greatest part of the citizens of that place followed him. The ftructure is reckoned the most elegant and regular gothic building in the kingdom. It is in the form of a lanthorn, with a beautified fpire of free-ftone, in the middle of it, 410 feet high, being the tallest in England. According to this computation, it is twice the height of the monument. The windows of the church are faid to be as many as the days in the year; nor can an account of all its ornaments be here expected. The monuments were numerous; but my attention was chiefly fixed on a neat marble flab, erected to the memory of the late James Harris Efq. author of The Hermes (declared by Bishop Lowth to be the most beautiful and perfect example of analyfis, that has been exhibited fince the days of Ariftotle) it was decorated by a medallion head, and a neat claffical inscription. He was a moft ftudious man-has thrown much light on the philological parts of learning, and was ufually denominated the Philofopher of Salisbury. He was the father of the present Lord Malmbury, whofe diplomatic merits are generally known and admired. We faw also a stone monument, reprefenting a little boy habited in epifcopal robes, a mitre on his head, and a crofier in his hand. This, which was buried under

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