The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and
Instruction, by Various

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction
Volume 12, No. 341, Saturday, November 15, 1828.

Author: Various

Release Date: March 9, 2004 [EBook #11528]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MIRROR OF LITERATURE, NO. 341 ***

Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Nicolas Hayes and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.

THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.

VOL. XII, NO. 341.] SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1828. [PRICE 2d.

[Illustration: GRAND DRUIDICAL TEMPLE AT ABURY.]

TEMPLE AT ABURY.

Sermons in stones
And good in every thing.--SHAKSPEARE.

What means the mysterious circle of stocks and stones on the other
side? Such will be the question of many a lover of fun, novel,
fiction, and romance; and though we cannot settle their origin with
the quickness or the humour of Munden's _Cockletop_, we will try to
let our inquirer into the secret with the smallest show of mysticism
possible.

Our engraving represents the Temple of Abury, the most extensive of
all the ruins in Wiltshire, attributed to the Druids. Such was its
original state, before the Vandalism of modern times destroyed and
levelled much of its monumental grandeur. It consisted of a grand
circle, containing two minor circles. The outer circle contained
upwards of 28 acres, and was surrounded by a ditch. There was a circle
within each of the two circles, contained within the circumvallation;
and according to Dr. Stukely, the antiquarian, the original was thus
composed:--

Outward circle, within the vallum 100 stones
Northern Temple, outward circle 30 --
Ditto, inward circle 12 --
Cove, or cell 3 --
Southern Temple, outward circle 30 --
Ditto, inward circle 12 --
Central Obelisk 1 --
Ring Stone 1 --

The Temple occupied a spot to which there is a gradual and
imperceptible ascent on all sides, and was approached by two avenues
of two hundred stones