and Merlin for vouchers, came into this laud. in the year of Christ's incarnation 36, in the time of Arviragus, who gave to them the isle of Avalon, where they built an oratory of withen wands, or boughs, which was the first christian church, if one may so call it, which was erected in Britain. We find this custom was followed in the first times, in building the christian churches in Britain, of boughs; and I am apt to think that the custom of adorning our churches at Christmas, as well as our houses with evergreens, proceeds from what has been related."

1765, Suppl.

LX. Account of several British Antiquities, found near Chateris, in the Isle of Ely, in a letter from the late Dr. Stukeley to Mr. Peter Collinson, F.R.S.

THE Isle of Ely extends from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, for forty miles in length, to the old river, called Nine, running eastward to Wisbech river, which divides it from Lincolnshire, therefore called Shire-drain.

The isle is, for the most part, a vast fenny level, divided into many islets of high ground; some of gravelly soil, some of chalk; separated from one another, as well as from the continent, (if so we may express it) by impassable boggy ground, rivers, and large meres.

These islands of firm ground, are well inhabited, have towns and fair churches, woods, pastures, and fresh springs, so that each, in summer time, is as a paradise detached from the rest of the busy world.

The fenny parts were originally, for the main, drier, and better ground, than now. I have largely discussed this affair, in cap. iv. of my Medallic History of Carausius, Book II. on account of an artificial canal called Carsdike, which that emperor drew across it, to carry corn boats to the Scottish Pretenture, and of the many roads he made there.

Before Roman times, we may be well assured the most ancient Britons, when they advanced so far northward as the isle of Ely, from the southern coasts of their first landing, would greedily seize upon these islets of high ground, so fortified with rivers and fens; and erect petty Sovereignties there, in a soil so rich, and so secure; for each may be reckoned as a British oppidum according to Cæsar's

description of that of Cassibelin, Silvis paludibusque egregie

munitum.

I here exhibit a curious instance, in these remains of remote antiquity, found at Chateris, in the summer of the year 1757, and given to me by Robert Fawcet, Esq. lord of the manor; and, as we may say, successor to the king, who owned

these martial accoutrements before us.

The world has been lately obliged in a high degree to Mr. Macpherson, for publishing a translation of those excellent poetic compositions of Ossian in the Ersk language.

I cannot call it vanity in me, if I think no one can be a better judge of their authenticity. My reason is, because they illustrate and confirm those notions, and those ideas, I formed in my mind concerning the original Britons; when, for many summers, I examined into those stupendous works, the temples of Abury and Stonehenge, the cursus's, and in, numerable barrows, and like matters pertaining to them; which I have long ago printed.

The reading of Fingal revives all my former thoughts concerning them. I see clearly, that people of his, were the true remains of our most ancient Britons; who came by sea from the eastern countries, Phoenicia, Arabia, Egypt, and that before Gaul was peopled.

I saw the same notions and customs in the highland heroes; they were the same people, had the same customs and religion as the first Britons. The Ersk language, old Scottish, Manks, Irish, Cornish, all the remains of the most ancient inhabitants, thrust forward by the Romans.

From this book, I see the reason of the appearance of these present antiquities, agreeable to those I found, in digging into the tumuli, about Abury and Stonehenge.

Chateris has its name Chartreuse, from a nunnery founded there A.D. 980, by Alfwena mother to Earl Ailwyn, alderman of all England; founder of the noble abbey of Ramsey.

The scite of Chateris monastery was probably the palace of the monarch among the old Britons, whose tomb they dug up. It was a piece of gravelly ground pretty much elevated, towards Somersham ferry, and was his family burying place, for there were more bodies interred in the same spot,

They were not above two feet and a half under the turf. On the right side of his body, and under his arm, lay his sword; the handle consumed, no guard or cross bar at the handle appeared. Such were the long Irish skenes; on the left side, lay the spear, the staff of it consumed; the same must be said of his bow, for often they were buried

with them. On his breast lay the iron umbo, or navel of his shield; the materials of which it was made, a bull's hide, consumed. At his head was placed the great urn as usual, of black earth or clay; this, we suppose, held the bones of his wife, burnt; she dying before him, they were kept to be interred with him. This case I have often observed at Stonehenge, and this was the origin of urn burial, long before the Roman name was extant; which I take to be the present case, for this sepulture may be 3000 years old; and of some of the first inhabitants of our island.

The sword is only an intire body of rust; the same may be said of the spear head, and of the umbo. We may not think amiss, in supposing it of the fabric of Damascus, for I look upon it little to be doubted of, that our first British ancestors were of the progeny of Abraham, in the Arabiau line, by Hagar and by Keturah; those Ishmaelite and Midianite merchants, who came hither with the Tyrian Hercules to seek for tin. Much I could say in proof of it, but not at this time.

I am the more persuaded into this sentiment, on account of the curious glass vase, found along with the recited utensils; it was broken in pieces as well as the urn, by the workmen. I could not set the pieces together, so as to be certain of the exact figure of the glass; but the pieces are of a fabric very extraordinary; and what I have never ob served before, nor can I guess at its use.

It is notorious, that our Britons were famous for their artifice in glass works. We find many of their beads, snakestones, as they are called; and like things of exquisite curiosity. Mr. Bell, of the Antiquarian Society, bought a curious piece in glass, representing a snake rolled up. Mr. Baker has another; this is the thing of which Pliny writes, in a marvellous fable. Some curious party-coloured beads of theirs are to be seen; some in Mr. Edward Llwyd's Plate of British Antiquities, in Camden's Britannia.

Between Tyre, and the city Acan, in Phoenicia, is the famous sand-hill, for making glass, mentioned by Josephus, Strabo, Stephanus the geographer, and Pliny.

Our Hercules came from Tyre; he built Acon; he made a serpentine temple there, like that of Abury; whence the name Acon, signifying a serpent;' hence the Hakpen Hill of Abury, signifying the serpent's head.'

I mention all this, to show how our old Britons brought the art of glass-making with them from the east; and these matters mutually prove one another, both, that they came

hither by sea from the Phoenician coast; and that these glass works prove it, among innumerable other arguments which I could produce.

All considerations démonstrate this to be the true case; let us consider the measure of the antiquities before us, in regard to the ancient Druid and Oriental cubit; this is somewhat more than our twenty inches; the blade of the sword is edged on both sides; two feet seven inches long, which is exactly a cubit and half; near two inches broad, the fifth part of half a cubit.

The iron of the spear head is exactly half a cubit long; some little matter above ten inches. The diameter of the umbo of the shield half that quantity.

There cannot be a better proof of the oriental extraction of our old Britons. Here in the isle of Ely, they lived in great security, for the conquest of this particular country gave the Romans no little trouble; the same of the Normans; for there was no easy passage into it.

On the 22d of February 1759, Mr. Jacobs, of Feversham, gave an account to the Antiquarian Society, of digging up a body near Barham downs, of an old Briton; a sword and spear found with it, of like manner as ours; moreover a necklace of glass beads was about the neck of the skeleton.

Such ornaments I observe about the necks of our British kings on their coins; whereof I have 15 plates engraven, with their descriptions.

The glass vase found with the body at Chateris, was unluckily broken in pieces, which renders it impossible to know its exact figure or use; but the make of it is extraordinary, and what, I believe, our present glass-blowers cannot perform; many pipes proceeded from it, but closed; I think ten in number. I never saw one like it, nor can I conjecture what its purpose was.

We learn from Fingal the whole import of this discovery of our British hero; the sword, spear, and umbo, bespeak vast antiquity, being only a body of rust, like the British king's bridle, founder of the immense work of Abury, which cannot be less than 3000 years old: it was dug up with his body on Silbury hill, the largest tumulus in the world, and is now in my possession.

We learn from Fingal the custom of burying these martial instruments, with the owners, and this particular circumstance, that our hero was the last of his family; otherwise, it was their custom to bequeath their armour to their sons, to be kept in the hall from generation to generation.

From Fingal we learn the use of the brazen horns, here exhibited by bishop Pococke; found in Bogs in Ireland; they sounded with them to battle.

The sword and bow were the usual instruments of our Britons, as in Fingal; and as with the heroes of Phoenicia, probably our hero of Chateris had his bow buried with him, but consumed.

So Jacob in his last will, Genesis xlviii. 22, gave to his son Joseph, a portion above his brethren; which he took out of the hand of the Amorite, with his sword, and with his bow.

1766, March.

W. STUKELEY.

LXI. Custom of making April Fools.

MR. URBAN,

IT is a matter of some difficulty to account for the expres sion, an April fool, and the strange custom so universally prevalent throughout this kingdom, of people's making fools of one another on the 1st of April, by trying to impose upon each other, and sending one another, upon that day, upon frivolous, ridiculous, and absurd errands. However, something I have to offer on the subject, and I shall here throw it out, if it were only to induce others to give us their sentiments. The custom, no doubt, had an original, and one of a very general nature; and therefore one may reasonably hope, that though one person may not be so happy as to investigate the meaning and occasion of it, yet another possibly may. But I am the more ready to attempt a solution of this difficulty, because I find Mr. Bourne, in his " Antiquitates Vulgares," has totally omitted it, though it fell so plainly within the compass of his design.

6

I observe, first, Mr. Urban, that this custom and expres sion has no connection at all with the Festum Hypodiaco norum, Festum Stultorum, Festum Fatuorum, Festum Innocertium,' &c. mentioned in Du Fresne; for these jocular festivals were kept at a very different time of the year.

2dly, That I have found no traces, either of the name, or of the custom, in other countries, insomuch that it appears to me to be an indigenal custom of our own. I speak only as to myself in this; for others, perhaps, may have discovered it in other parts, though I have pot.