cession of the living for the souls of such as had departed this life within the space of the year. It was supposed that Baal Samhan, Baal the Sun, called also Bal-Sab, Lord of Death, summoned the souls to judgment at this season, which according to their merits or demerits, in the life past, were to re-enter the bodies of the human or brute species. But the punishment of the wicked, the druids taught, might be alleviated by charms and magic art, and by sacrifices made by their friends to Bal, and presents to the priests for their intercession. As the first day of November was dedicated to the Lunar-arkite goddess, in her character of presiding over fruits, seeds, &c., it was termed La mas ubhal, the day of apple fruit, and apples are still eaten in Ireland and Wales at this festival. On the Oidche Shamha, Vigil of the Sun, the peasants of Ireland assemble with sticks (the emblems of laceration,) going from house to house collecting money, bread-cake, butter, cheese, eggs, &c., for the feast, repeating verses in honor of the solemnity, demanding preparations for the festival in the name of St. Columba, desiring them to lay aside the fatted calf, and bring forth the black sheep. Sacrifices of black sheep used to be offered by the druids for the souls of the departed. The women in Ireland, on this eve, as well as those in Wales, are employed in making the griddle cake and candles. These last are sent from house to house in the vicinity, and are lighted up on the next day (the Saman), before which they are supposed to pray for the departed souls of the donor's relations. Apples and nuts are then devoured in abundance, the nut-shells are burnt, and from the ashes many strange things are foretold. The inhabitants of Siant (one of the western islands of Scotland) had an ancient custom of sacrificing to a sea-god, called Shony (Shamhna) at All-hallow-tide, in the manner following. The people of the island went to the church of St. Mulvay, each man having his provision along with him. Every family furnished a peck of malt, and this was brewed into ale. One of their number was picked out to wade into the sea up to his middle, and, carrying a cup of ale in his hand, standing still in that posture, cried out with a loud voice, "Shony, I give you this cup of ale, hoping that you'll be so kind as to send up plenty of sea-ware, for enriching our ground the ensuing year;" and The Baal-Zebub of Scripture. + Paradise was called Dara neamh, the mansions of the blessed. This being pronounced Lamasool, was corrupted by the English into Lambswool, a name they give to a composition, made on this eve, of roasted apples, sugar and ale. The Catholic priesthood substituted a Christian church for a Pagan place of worship. See letter of the pope to St. Augustine, in Summe's Britanniæ. then threw the cup of ale into the sea. This was performed at night-time. At his return to land they all went to church, where there was a candle burning on the altar; and, remaining silent for a little time, one of them gave a signal, at which the candle was put out, and immediately all went to the fields, where they spent the remainder of the night in dancing, singing, and drinking.* Here Shamhna is identified with the diluvian god, but as the deity presiding over waters, the Irish recognize him by the name of Ruad,† thence called Ill-breac Easa-ruid, the ever blessed Ruad of torrents, and the deluge was said to have been perfected by Ruad, whence he was styled Dile Ruaid. As the god of torrents, cataracts were dedicated to him; thus Easar Ruaid, the cataract of Kuad, was the name of the great fall of water at Ballyshannon. He was said also to preside over the winds, and then denominated Ruach. He was also called Phearamon, and then said to be the son of Budh, the skilful one. His name as the sun or Apollo, was Daghdæ, as before mentioned, and he is said to have been the brother of Ogmius, and to have been called also Crios. His disciples were styled Nion Crios, and Tochd Daghdæ, the children of Crios, or Daghda. His daughters were Be-righit, the goddess of rhetoric and science, Be-leighas, the goddess of medicine, and Di-an-ceacht, the goddess of grammar and letters.|| The daughter of Ceacht was Etanbè-cearde, Etan goddess of arts, and also the goddess of Gabha, i. e. the Muses, and Fath agus Aoirisi, of ver se and song. Daghda was likewise called Ruad ro feasa, the most wise governor. We are told that the inscription over the altar at Teamor was Ainncoin gnathæ in Daghdæ do greis, Let the altar for ever blaze to Daghda. He was also denominated Cearo, which is the sun. But Diarmut was a more frequent appellation of the Helio-arkite deity, whence Diarmut ruad go fios, Diarmud the most wise preceptor; As beo diarmut dreach io tnuth, the immortal Diarmut with a fiery face; and Diarmut ro fisiol di breag, the most excellent Diarmut the illustrious god. In many parts of Ireland the people shew a large flat stone, which they call Leaba Diarmut, the bed of Diarmut. He is also styled Aosar the Supreme Being, who overcomes Cise-al, the evil spirit. He is moreover named Seacha so craobt dearg, the famous Seacha (ingenious) of the ruddy branch, and here he seems identified with the Irish Ogam, the brother of Daghdæ, and under this title he is said to have presided over trees, shrubs, &c. and hence gave the names to letters after some tree. On this account the book of Ogum is styled by the Irish Uraiceacht na n' Ogus, and Uraiceacht na Gaois. • Martin's Western Isles, p. 28. The ilex, or scarlet oak, was sacred to him, and therefore named Crann Aria, from Arc, the sun, on which account also the common oak is called Darc and Darac, and the acorn Darian. As the god of war he was called Boromh, an epithet assumed by Brien king of Munster. The Irish druids used to prepare for their chiefs consecrated standards, hence Dal-greine, the standard of the sun, the name of Fingal's (Finn mac cumhal) standard; so in the British poem, entitled Gwarchan Maelderw, we find a magic standard presented to the leader of the troops, on which his figure was delineated, together with that of the sun and the dragon. and Seaca's wife was called Trom pregnant, Agus Trom a bhean, and named also Bhebhin, beautiful woman. As being pregnant, or full of seeds, she was called Lugh, the goddess of corn, Lugh-nasa, the anniversary of Lugh, is to this day the name of the month of August. The British mythological triads inform us that the Sabean idolatry was professed alike by the Irish and the Coraniaid;" they also add that one of the mischievous blows of Britain was given to Branwen (the British Proserpine) the daughter of Bran (the raven, a symbol of the ark) by Math-olwch (form of worship) the Irishman, by which it seems that the substitution of the Helio-arkite worship for that of the simple arkite, was brought about by the Phoenicians, at the instigation of the Irish. But it was reserved for St. Patrick to deliver Ireland from the serpents; notwithstanding their Glaine obar, or glass houses, the amulets would not avail them, and Druidism was destined to sink into insignificance. The ground, however, had been previously prepared for the exertions of the great Christian preacher, by the light of philosophy, which had dawned in Ireland, and by exposing the fallacy of many of the druidic superstitions, greatly tended to deprive their doctrine of that reverence and blind obedience it had formerly possessed. Coula, judge of Connaught, had opposed their mystical rites, as well as their extensive encroachments. The monarch, Cormac O Cuinn, about the year 280, carried on the controversy in favor of Theism, and several Fileas emulating their reforming predecessors, proposed new schemes of truth. The druids and their followers, unable to justify their superstitions, lost ground, while the philosophers, adhering severally to some favorite hypothesis, could not gain in the inverse ratio. Freedom of debate being the cause of these dissentions, and wholly uncontrolled, soon produced domestic warfare; but the • Davies's Mythology of the British Druids, p. 429. So the Irish as well as the British Druids were termed, and hence the origin of the story that poisonous animals will not live in that island. O'Flaherty's Ogygia Domest. c. 69, p. 340. spirit of inquiry had a good effect,-it prepared men's minds for the reception of the Gospel, the only scheme of truth that could give repose to the agitations of the disputants. When Christianity had been incorporated with the civil constitution of Ireland, under the admirable administration of Olliott Molt, in the year 470, the abettors of the druidic superstitions were not expelled from the protection of the legislature. Neither occasional nor local worship was regarded as a standard to determine how far men ought to enjoy or forfeit the civil rights of society. Perhaps the policy of the monarch induced him to encourage hopes of patronage from both parties, that by holding the balance, he might turn the scale on either side, and rest the more secure himself. It is to this secret support that the druidic mysteries continued so long after interwoven in the poetical subjects of the Irish, as well as Cambrian bards; to this hope of restoration to power we may assign the careful secretion of the Mithratic caves, and to this is to be attributed the customs which now remain, and evince their former connection with the Helio-arkite rites. I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, Most respectfully yours, SAMUEL R. MEYRICK, Goodrich Court; IDEAL GRIEF.* 'Rwyf beunydd yn rhoi sèn ìr Byd, A'r poen, a'i achos fal y saeth, O'r hunan caeth yn tyfu. Translation by the late EDWARD WILLIAMS, of Glamorgan. This world I slander to my shame, Nor strive my passions once to tame: Spring from my own unmanly mind. For the information of the English reader, it may be necessary to observe that Edward Williams, from whose poetry we occasionally extract, lived and died a poor Glamorganshire stone-cutter. ADVENTURES OF A WELSH MEDICAL STUDENT. No. II. (Founded on fact.) THE Cessation of an awful storm, the escape from imminent peril, the reality of that which we deemed but the dream of mind, and romance of imagination, leaves a nervous excitation of the frame which quiet only, and contrasted repose of varied scenes, and placid events, can entirely dispel; and oh! the luxury of thus exchanging the turbulence of life's tempestuous ocean, for the verdant retreat of peace and solitude; to feel that after buffeting the briny billow, and almost sinking within its abyss, we have at last grasped the rock of safety, and laid the tremulent heart upon a spot where its throbs will be appeased, and its woes alleviated, far distant from the sphere of its misery and danger. The impetuous attempt of human nature to struggle against the conflicting and volcanic effects of sudden events, and the endeavour to erase from the mind almost every trait of tragic incident, and to form anew the basis of reflection, so as to produce a contrast to the past, seems to be a leading feature in the history of the human affections and passions. The extraordinary occurrences of life possess such striking resemblances to each other, in some of their combinations, that we feel ourselves to be continually combating against a relapse of that feeling, which we know to be most fatal to our happiness, and most delusive to our prospects; but how mournful is the conviction amid all the natural causes of misery, either to fancy, or be assured that we have neglected to allay the tortures of others, by a disregard of their necessities, or even that we cannot recall a brief moment of existence, to whisper another thought of consolation, or convey some stronger expression of interest and friendship to them in their misfortunes and sorrows. Alas! to know that the closed eye hath shed its last tear, that the illumined beam hath become eclipsed by the impenetrable darkness of night, that the hand of friendship will never again be extended, and the coldness of the grave will grasp the once warm and vigorous frame of youth and elegance. In these sentiments, you, my readers will sympathise, but I should hope that you are not so unfortunate as to extend your sympathy to circumstances equally disastrous and awful with those I have related in my previous narrative. The drama of life seldom closes in so abrupt, or so tragic a manner, as in the instance alluded to. Age, with anxious decrepitude, youth and protracted suffering, are received within the portal of death's gloomy chamber, by nature's imperious dictates, but the broken and contrite heart, the victim of sudden remorse, arrested by |