Records of the Tynwald & Saint John's chapels in the Isle of Man / by William Harrison ; with an appendix containing an account of the Duke of Atholl taking possession of the Isle of Man in 1736, also A lay of ancient Mona.

  • Harrison, William, 1802-1884.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Records of the Tynwald & Saint John's chapels in the Isle of Man / by William Harrison ; with an appendix containing an account of the Duke of Atholl taking possession of the Isle of Man in 1736, also A lay of ancient Mona. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    26/210 (page 4)
    multitude, tlie custom being followed by numerous eastern tribes, and stUl continued in many districts by tbeir chiefs or rulers iu addressing tbeir followers or giving judicial judgments. Others ascribe them to the venerable Druids, who were wont to give the law in the face of the open day from similar eminences. There is little doubt these ancient lawgivers found a refuge in the Isle of Man after their expul- sion from Gaul, having to this day left traces of their habita- tion in the names of places in the island. The character of the Druid has been thus ably drawn by Mr. Eobertson in his Tour through the Isle of Man in 1791:— “ The Druids were the most venerable of human charac- ters. As priests, they were deemed sacred ; as legislators, politic; and as philosophers, enlightened and humane: while the nation cheerfully paid them the veneration due to the ministers of God, and the magistrates of the people. “ Their government was truly patriarchal They were the sacred fathers of the country. Amid their umbrageous oaks they sacrificed at the altar ; and from the throne of justice gave laws to the nation. To render their civil charac- ter more venerable, they concealed from the vulgar several of their rites and ceremonies ; and from this mysterious policy some writers have presumed to condemn their worship as barbarous and inhuman. But their doctiines were pure and sublime ; combining the unity of God, the immortahty of the soul, and a just distribution of future rewards and ptmish- ments. They were also scientific observers of nature, and teachers of moral philosophy. Their precepts were never committed to writing, but delivered in verse to their pupils, who, by the intense study of many years, imprinted them on the memory. Eesiding in woods and caves, they were dis- tinguished by the austerity and simpKcity of their manners ; and thus, by their knowledge, wisdom, and virtue, obtaining