i. Cordiner pinx!

CARVED STONE at ESSIE.

Peter Mazell sculp.

Publish'd according to Act of Parliament June 12 1786 by Peter Mazell, Engraver, Nʻg Great Newpert Street, S*Martins Lane.

CARVED STONE at ESSIE.

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HIS obelisk was accidentally discovered by Mr. Cordiner, in the bank of a rivulet that runs by the village of Effie, near to Glaimes, in Forfar Shire. The rivulet had washed away the foil in which it had lain buried for ages, and thus disclosed to view an elegant and fingular piece of antiquity, in the highest preservation. It retains in its make ftriking evidences of having been defigned to ftand erect from the ground, and is therefore undoubtedly a monument of the obelisk kind. It is richly carved on both fides (the reverse of it shall be inserted in a future Number); and fome feet of length of the lower part of the stone are left rude, and void of sculpture, for being funk into the ground, and inclosed by the steps of long square ftones, wherewith they are commonly found furrounded and supported; and a moulding runs along to mark the intended vifible base.

The pleafing disposition, and graceful design, of fome of the ornaments, give it a title to be called elegant, as the work of an otherwise rude and early age. And some novelty and peculiarity in the habits and proceffion of the figures, give a fimilar claim to the other epithet above, that it is a fingular piece of antiquity.

When this monument was first raised from its muddy bed, and washed from the flime of years, the appearance of a folemn proceffion of reverend figures in robes, and heifers seemingly attending, adorned with foliage and flowers, immediately fuggested the idea of Druid priests going to facrifice; and the confecrated victims, distinguished by these peculiar garlands and wreaths. A figure above feemed to hold a weapon ready to flaughter the expiatory offerings; and the circles over the heads of the holy men were either chofen fymbols of the myfteries of their devotion, or emblems of those hallowed circles in which the folemnities of their worship were always performed.-Thefe delightful difcoveries of the ancient rites of the primordial religion of our country, was too grand a reverie to be relinquished without fome reflections a little mortifying to the spirit of antiquarian investigation. But, on cleansing off the clay from the other fide of the ftone, the appearance of an angel, and finally of a fumptuous crofs, emblazoned high with the most elaborate and splendid decorations, clearly evidenced the monument to have been carved after the better light of Christianity had regulated devotion, infpired the arts, and left these memorials through the kingdom of its early influence and fway. Although

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the cross rifing into light put an end to the Druid facrifice, yet the farther contemplation of the fculptures on the stone was not without an ample fund of rational entertainment. Here conjecture becomes authenticated by unequivocal refemblances, that may be traced between the figures on this ftone and feveral of a correfponding age in other countries.

In fome old paintings, of which representations are given in the CXIX. and CXXXVII. plates of the English edition of Montfaucon's Antiquities of France, it may be obferved that long robes were early worn by the fathers of the church on all folemn occafions: in their proceffions their priests carried the crofs, crofiers and other enfigns of facred authority, which added to the pomp of their facred deliberations and holy rites.

The first badge of their fanctity and humility was the pallium or cloak, the plainest and most fimple of garments. It was worn throughout the Roman empire in contradiftinction to the toga, which was confidered as an airy, gay, and fplendid piece of drefs, unfuitable to those who placed their glory in preaching the gospel to poor.

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This then, as the badge of Chriftian paftors-and the crofiers, as enfigns of their delegated power from the apostles-became striking appendages of those holy men who first announced the evangelical confolations. These distinguishing garbs and holy infignia would naturally accompany the promulgation of the gofpel; and, wherever the apoftolic fathers proclaimed their miffion, and the light of life, would ftrike the beholders with awe, and be reprefented by artists with reverence. The Caledonian sculptors might certainly therefore have had the living figures to copy from though it is highly probable, they would be confirmed in the appropriation of these to monumental remembrancers of their faith, by seeing them pictured in devotional books, and confidered as memorials of martyrs, faints, and heroes; and as emblematical of thofe folemnities of religion, which they regarded as the fource of their most lasting confolation.

That the human figures on this monument have the above allufion, can require no further evidence than a clear infpection affords. The embellished elephant alfo in part appears.-The fufpended fhields and fceptres must require a difquifition appropriated to them only.