Identifier: bookofsimilitude00barb (find matches)
Title: The book of similitudes:
Year: 1860 (1860s)
Authors: Barber, John Warner, 1798-1885. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Emblems Religions
Publisher: New Haven, Conn., Pub. for the author by J. H. Bradley
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
edto ashes. But the avarice of the priests encouraged thepeople to present offerings as well as sacrifices. Thesegenerally consisted of the most costly and excellentthings that could be procured, and of course contributedmuch to the luxury and splendour both of the temples andof the priesthood. Like other heathen nations, also, the Druids had theiracts of divination, their auguries, and omens. Withrespect to their times of worship, it is probable that theyhad daily sacrifices, and other acts of religion ; and fromthe authority of Lucan, they seem to have chosen thehour of noon for the worship of the sun and the celes-tial gods; and midnight for that of the moon and theinfernal gods. They certainly knew the division oftime into weeks, although it is doubtful whether one ofthe seven days was consecrated to religion. The sixthday of every lunar month, which by them was reckonedas the first day, was a religious festival. The first dayof May was a great annual festival in honor of Belinus,
Text Appearing After Image:
ROMANS DESTROYING THE DRUIDS. The Roman Governor finding it difficult to keep the Britons insubjection, on account of the Druids, determined to destroy thelatter. He pursued them into the Island of Anglesea, cutdown their sacred proves, and burnt many of them in the fireswhich they themselves had kindled for the Roman prisoners. 428 or the sun. There are some vestiges of this festivalstill remaining in Ireland, and in the highlands of Scot-land. Midsummer day, and the first of November,were likewise annual festivals. All their gods andgoddesses seem to have had similar festivals. Thechief festival was, when the ceremony of cutting themisletoe from the oak was performed ; the day was aboutthe beginning of March. On these festivals, after theappointed sacrifices and acts of devotion were finished,the rest of their time was spent in feasting, singing, danc-ing, and other diversions. The places in which the Druids performed their wor-ship were always in the open air; for it was considered

Note About Images