A Defcription of Stonehenge, Wiltshire,

we may judge what a ftupendous labour it must have been to bring together, from fo great a diftance, fuch a number of these ftones as were used here; and this has induced fome perfons to imagine that the founders had an art of making tone, which has been many ages loft.

The prefent name is Saxon, though the work is certainly much more ancient than the Saxon times, and fignifies a hanging-ftone, from the hanging parts, architraves, or rather impofts; as the pendulous rocks ftill to be feen in Yorkihire, are called Henges; but the ancient name, Dr. Stukely cenjectures to have been the Ambres, and hence the adjacent town Ambrefbury takes its name.

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vock below, you fee, as it were, the bowels of mountain turned infide out.

The whole work, being of a circular form, is about one hundred and eight feet in diameter from out to out. The intention of the founders was probably this: the whole circle was to confift of thirty ftones; each ftone to be four cubits, of about twenty inches English measure each, broad, and each interval two cubits; thirty times four cubits is twice fixty; thirty times two cubits is fixty; fo that thrice fixty cubits complete a circle whofe diameter is fixty. A ftone being four cubits broad and two 'thick, is double the interval, which is a square of two cubits. Change the places between the ftones and their intervals, and it will be a good ground-plot for a circular portico of Greek or Roman

Stonehenge ftands not upon the fummit of a hill, but near it; however at half a mile distance, the ap-work; though thefe bodies of ftone, pearance is awful; but as you come which are in the nature of impofts up the avenue in the north-east of or cornices, never had, or were init, which fide is most perfect, the tended to have, any moulding upon greatness of the contour fills the eye them like Greek or Roman work; in an aflonishing manner. It is en- they are wrought perfectly plain, clofed in a circular ditch, which and fuitable to the ftones that fuphaving paffed, we afcend thirty-port them; and the chifeling of five yards before we come at the work.

the upright ftones is only aboveground; for the four or five feet in length below ground is left in the original natural form. The upright ftones are made very judiciously to diminish a little way; fo that at top they are but three cubits and a half broad, and fo much nearer, as to fuffer their impofts to meet a little over the heads of the uprights, both within fide and without; by which means the uprights are lefs liable to fall or fwerve.

When you enter the building, whether on foot or horfeback, and caft your eyes around upon the yawning ruins, the effect they produce on the mind is not to be defcribed. Other buildings fall by piece-meal, but here a fingle ftone is a ruin. Yet there remains fo much undemolished, as enables us fufficiently to recover its form, when in its most perfect state. When we advance farther, the dark parts It is to be feared, fome indifcreet of the most ponderous impofts over perfons have been digging about our heads, the chasms of sky between the great entrance, with ridiculous the jambs of the cell, the odd con- hopes of finding treafure, and fo ftruction of the whole, and great- have loofened the chalky foundation; nefs of every part, furprife. If for the upper edge of the impoft you look upon the perfect part, you overhangs no less than two feet fancy intire quarries mounted up feven inches, which is very confideinto the air; if, upon the rude ha-rable in an height of eighteen. The

whole

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A Defcription of Stonehenge, Wiltshire.

whole breadth at the foundation is but two feet and a half: and this noble front is now chiefly kept up by the mafonry of the mortice, and tenon of the impofts.

had any impofts, it is fomewhat more than eight feet from the infide of the outer one, and confists of forty leffer ftones, forming with the outward circles, as it were, a circular porti- . co, a most beautiful work, and of a pretty effect; they are flat parallelograms, as thofe of the outward circle, and their general and defigned proportion is two cubits, or two and a half, as fuitable stones were found. They are a cubit thick, and four and a half high, which is more than feven feet; this was their ftated proportion, being every way the half of the upper uprights. Thefe ftones are of a harder

The contrivance of the founders in making mortices and tenons between the upright ftones and the impofts, is admirable; but fo contrary to any practice of the Romans, that it alone overfets their claim to the work. Thefe tenons and mortices of this outer circle are round, and fit one another very aptly. They are ten inches and one half in diameter, and refemble half an egg, rather an hemifphere; and fo effectually keep both up-compofition than the reft, the better rights and impofts from luxation, that they must have been thrown down with great difficulty and labour. The whole height of upright and impoft is ten cubits and a half; the upright nine: the impoft over the grand entrance is, in its middle length, cleven feet ten inches, and fo is larger than the reft; and it is alfo a little broader, measuring on the infide.

Of the outer circle of Stonehenge, which in its perfection confifted of fixty ftones, thirty uprights, and thirty impofts, there are feventeen uprights left ftanding, eleven of which remain contiguous to the grand entrance, with five impofts upon them. One upright at the back of the temple, leans upon a ftone of the inner circle. There are fix more lying upon the ground, whole or in pieces; fo that twentyfour out of thirty are ftill vifible at the place. There is but one impoft more in its proper place, and but two lying upon the ground; fo that twenty-two have been carried off. Hence Dr. Stukély infers this temple was not defaced when chriftia nity prevailed; but that fome rude hands carried the ftones away for other ufes. So much for the larger circle of ftones with impofts.

As to the leffer circle, which never

to refift violence as they are leffer; and they have fufficient faftenings in the ground. There are but nineteen of the forty left; and only ten of them are ftanding in their original fituation; five in one place contiguous, three in another, two in another.

The walk between these two circles, which is three hundred feet in circumference, is very noble, and very delightful.

The adytum, or cell, into which we may fuppofe none but the upper order of druids were to enter, is compofed of certain compages of ftones, which our author calls trilithons, becaufe made each of two upright ftones, with an impoft at top, and there are manifeftly five of thefe remaining, three of which are entire, two are ruined, in fome measure; but the Rones remain in fitu. It is a magnificent niche, twenty-feven cubits long, and the fame in breadth, meafuring in the wideft place. The ftones that compofe it are really ftupendous; their height, breadth, and thickness, are enormous and to fee fo many of them placed together, in a nice and critical figure, with exactness; to confider, as it were, not a pillar of one ftone, but a whole wall, a fide, an end of a temple of one Itone; to view them curiously

A Defcription of Stonehenge, Wiltshire.

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cariously, excites an emotion in the the weather. Our author took a mind which words cannot exprefs. walk on the top of it, but thought One very remarkable particular in it a frightful fituation. The trilithe conflitution of this adytum has thon of the upper end was an escaped all obfervers before our au- extraordinary beauty; but probably thor, which is this: As this part is through the indifcretion of fomebo compofed of trilithons fet two and dy digging between them and the two on each fide, and one right be- altar, the noble impoft is diflodged fore, they rise in height and beauty from its airy feat, and fallen upon of the ftones, from the lower end of the altar, where its huge bulk lies the adytum to the upper end; that unfractured. The two uprights that is, the two hithermoft trilithons fupported it, are the most delicate correfponding, or thofe next the ftones of the whole work. They grand entrance, on the right hand were, our author thinks, above and on the left, are exceeded in thirty feet long, and well chifeled, height by the two next in order; and finely tapered, and proportioned in thofe are exceeded by that behind their dimenfions. That fouthward, the altar, in the upper end of this is broken in two, lying upon the alchoir; and their heights, refpective-tar: the other ftill stands entire, but ly, are thirteen cubits, fourteen cubits, fifteen cubits.

The impofts of thefe are all of the fame height, and ten cubits may be fuppofed their medium meafure in length. The artifice of the tenons and mortices of thefe trilithons, and their impofts, the conformity they bear to that of the outer circle, is admirable, every thing being done geometrically, and as would beft anfwer every purpose, from plain and fimple principles; and it is wonderful that, in the management of fuch prodigious ftones as thefe, fixed in the ground, and rammed in like pofts, there is not more variation in the height, distance, and other circumstances.

leans upon one of the ftones of the inward oval; the root end, or unhewn part of both, is raised fomewhat above the ground. The trilithon towards the weft is entire, except that fome of the end of the impoft is fallen elean off, and all the upper edge is very much dimini thed by time. The laft trilithon on the right hand of the entrance into the adytum has fuffered much. The outer upright, being the jamb of the entrance, is ftill ftanding; the other upright and impoft are both fallen forwards into the adytum, and broken each into three pieces, as fuppofed, from digging near it. That which is ftanding has a cavity in it, in which two or three perfons may fit warm from the

Of these greater ftones of the adytum, as has been before obferv-weather. ed, there are none wanting, being all on the spot, ten uprights and five cornices. The trilithon first on the left hand is intire, in fitu, but vaftly decayed, especially the cornice, in which fuch deep holes are corroded, that in fome places the daws make their nefts in them. next trilithon on the left is intire, compofed of three most beautiful ftones. The cornice, happening to to be of a very durable English marble, has not been much impaired by

Stonehenge is compofed of two circles, and two ovals, respectively concentrive. The ftones that form thefe ovals rife in height, as nearer the upper end of the adytum; and their mediate measure is four cubits and four palms. They are of a The much harder kind than the larger ftones in the leffer circle; the founders, no doubt, intending that their leffer bulk fhould be compenfated by their folidity. Of thefe there are only fix remaining upright: the

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fumps