The antiquities of Portugal consist also -hiefly of Roman monuments, with some Moorish remains. In the north is an ex tensive series of arches, formerly a Roman aqueduct At Evora are well-preserved ruins of fl temple of Diana, and an aque duct ascribed to Quintus Scrtorius, whose life was written by Plutarch. Among the antiquities of the middle ages may be no ted the monastery of Batalha, in Estrema dura, 60 miles north of Lisbon, which is allowed on all hands to be one of the no blest monuments of what is called the Gothic style of architecture.
English antiquities fall into the follow ing divisions, viz. those belonging to the primitive Celtic inhabitants ; those of the Belgic colonies ; those of the Romans ; those of the Saxons ; reliques of the Danes; and, lastly, Norman monuments. Few of these remains are thought to throw much light upon the history of the coun try ; but, being interesting and curious in themselves, they may, in this article, which is intended a.s a guide to the study, be briefly noticed. A radical mistake, ac cording to Mr. Pinkerton, in the study of English antiquities, has arisen from the confusion of the Celtic and Belgic lan guages and monuments. The Druids have deservedly attracted much curiosity' and research ; but it would be erroneous to impute to them, as is usual, the whole of our earliest remains. Cmsor speaks of Druidism a.s a recent institution; and it that be the case, it is not improbable that it originated froin the Phcenician factories, established in wooden fortresses, the usual practice of commercial nations when tra ding with savage or barbarous people. The tenets correspond with what little exists of Phcenician mytholog-y, and the missionaries of that refined people might have some zeal in their diffusion. Ancient authors, who give us all our information concerning the Druids minutelydescribe their religious rights, b5ut are totally silent concerning any Monuments of stone being used among them. On the contrary, they mention gloomy groves and spreading oaks as the only scenes of the Drtudiccere monies ; nevertheless, antiquaries have in ferred that Stonehenge is a Druidic monu ment, though it be situated in an exten sive plain, where not a vestige of wood appears, and where the very soil is re puted to be adverse to its vegetation. It would be a vain effort to attempt to dis criminate the remains of the earliest in habitants from those of the Druidic pe riod, and if the opinion of the last-men tioned author is to be regarded as binding, there is no foundation for any sound or real knowledge on the subject. The fol lowing have tnen_esteemed as the MOntl meats of the Druids:—I. Single stones erect. 2. Rock idols and pierced stones. 3. Rocking-stones, used as ordeals. 4. Sepulchres of two, three, or more stones. 5. Circular temples, or rather circles of erect stones. 6 Barrows, or tumuli. 7. Cromlechs, or heaps of stones. 8. Rock basins, imagined to have been used in Druidic expiations. 9. Caves, used as places of retreat in time of war. But as most of these relics may also be found in Germany and Scandinavia, it is difficult to say whether they are Gothic or Celtic ; and as the Germans had no Druids, we cannot, with any degree of certainty, be stow the name of Druidic upon such monuments. It is highly probable, that the earliest inhabitants, as is ever the prac tice in the infancy of society, made use of wood, not of stone, in their religious as well as in their domestic erections. If we survey the various savage regions of the globe, we shall seldom, if ever, perceive the use of stone ; and it is certainly just to infer, that the savages of the west were not more skilful than those of the east, nor those of the old continents and islands than those of the new. But as many of these monuments are found in Germany, Scandinavia and Iceland,and as the Ice landic writers in particular often indicate their origin and use, which are unknown in the Celtic records, there is every rea son to attribute them to amore advanced stage of society, when the Belgic colonies introduced agriculture, and a little further progress in the rude arts of barbarism. The nature of this work will not admit a formal investigation of such topics, but a few remarks may be offered on Stone henge, a stupendous monument of barba ric industry. Inigo Jones, in attempting to prove that it is Roman, only evinces that no talfits can avail when science is wanting, a that antiquities require a se vere and peculiar train orstudy. Doctor Stukely, a visionary writer, assigns Stone henge to the Druids ; while Dr. Charlton, perceiving that such monuments are found in Denmark, ascribed it to the Danes. If the latter had considered, that the Belgx were a Gothic nation, of similar language and institutions, he might with more jus tice have extended his antiquity. From the Icelandic writers we learn, that such circles were called donth-rinttr, that is lite rally doom-ring, or circle of judgment, be ing the solemn places where courts were held, of all kinds and dignities, from the national council down to the baronial court, or that of a common proprietor of land, for adjusting disputes between his villani and slaves. The magnificence of
Stonehenge loudly p re nounces that it was the supreme court of the nation, equiva lent to the Champs de Mars et de Mai of the Franks, where the king and chiefs as sembled in the circle, and the men capa ble of arms in the open plain ; nor is it improbable that the chiefs ascended the transverse stones, and declared their re solves to the surrounding crowd, who, in the description of Tacitus, dissented by loud murmurs, or applauded by clashing their shields. This idea receives confir mation from the circumstance, that the Belgx, peculiarly so called, as being the chief and ruling colony of that people, were seated in the surrounding province, and Sorbiodunum, now Old Sarum, was their capital city. Similar circles of stone, but far inferior in size, are found in many parts of Great Britain and Ireland, and several undoubtedly as late as the Danish inroads and usurpations, the practice being continued by that people at least till their conversion to Christianity, in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Some of the smallest, as we learn from the northern antiquaries, were merely places of family sepulture. At a later period, the circles ofjudgment, which had been polluted with human sa crifices and other Pagan rites, were aban doned, and the great courts were held on what were called moot-hills, or hills of meeting, many of which still exist in the British dominions and in the Netherlands. They commonly consist of a central emi nence, on which sat the judge and his assistants ; beneath was an elevated plat form for the parties, their friends and con purgators, who sometimes amounted to a hundred or more ; and this platform was surrounded with a trench, to secure it from the access of the mere spectators. Of the other monuments of this period a more brief consideration must suffice. ''' When a monarch ondistinguished general was buried, a barrow or hillock was erect ed, to preserve his name and memory to future ages ; the size depending on the reputation of the person, which attracted a smaller or larger number of operators. Such monuments are very ancient, and even to this day denote the sepulchres of some of the heroes of the Trojan war. In. later times, a large single stone erected was esteemed a sufficientmemorial : such single stones also sometimes appear as monuments of remarkable battles, or merely as boundaries. The caves are familiar to most nations in an early state of society. The Belgic reliques are follow ed by those of the Romans, which are mostly objects of mere curiosity, and rare ly throw the smallest light on the page of history. Amphitheatres are said to be still visible at Silchester, in Hampshire, and some other places. The Roman cas tle at Richborough, the ancient Itutupim, in Kent, presents considerable remains of a massy wall cemented with surprising firmness. The Roman ruins in this coun try are commonly composed of stone or flint, with strata of flat bricks at consider able intervals. The Mosaic pavements, hvpocausts, &c. are generally the remains of the villas of opulent Romans, scattered over the country. The greatest number of Roman inscriptions, altars, &c. has been found in the north, along the great frontier wall, which extended from the western sea to the estuary of the Tyne. This vast wall is justly esteemed the most important remain of the Roman power in England,as that of Antoninus is in Scot land. The extent was about 70 miles, and its construction, forts, &c. have been illustrated by the labour of several an tiquaries. Numerousare the more minute relics of the Romans in England, as coins, gems, weapons, ornaments, and the like ; among which, however, the silver dish belonging to the Duke of Northumber land deserves especial mention. One of the grand causes of the civilization intro duced by that ruling people into the con quered states was the highways, which form, indeed, the first germ of national industry, and without which neither com merce nor society can make any consider able progress. Conscious of this truth, the Romans seem to have lent particular attention to the construction of roads in the distant provinces ; and those of Eng land, which may still be traced in various ramifications, present a lasting monument of the justice of their conceptions, the extent of their views, and the utility of their power. A grand trunk, as it may be called, passed from the south to the north, and another to the west, with branches, in almost every direction that general convenience and expedition could require. What is called the Watling street, led from Richborough, in Kent, the ancient Rutupix, N. W. through Lon don to Chester. The Ermin-street passed from London to Lincoln, thence to Car lisle, and into Scotland, the name being supposed to be corrupted from Herman, which means warrior, as the chief wars lay in the north. The Fosse Way is sup posed to have led from Bath and the western regions, N. E. till it joined the Ermin-street. The last celebrated road wa.s the Ikenild, or Ikneld, supposed to have extended from near Norwich, S. W.