I should suppose the internal meaning of this to be, the making an alate temple, of which we are further to speak in chap. xvi. _Antoninus Liberalis_ in his XXXI. tells a very old story of the first inhabitants of _Italy_ before _Hercules_’s time; a place among the _Messapians_ called the sacred stones: where the nymphs _Epimelides_ had a fane set round with trees, which trees were formerly men. This must be understood as the former. Thus we see how the ancient _Greeks_ involv’d every thing in fable, but still all fable has some historical foundation, and _that_ we must endeavour to find, by applying things so properly together, as to strike out the latent truth. The learned Dr. _Bogan_ in his letter prefix’d to _Delphi phœniciss._ from _Æschylus_ and others, Ικετ. ά. shews, that men were often call’d snakes by the ancients, in an allegorical way; and as to the report of _Cadmus_ and his wife, of the _Sidonian_ women and others, turn’d into snakes, or stones, or birds, or trees, in the sense we are explaining them; ’tis no more than what we daily see and hear at this time, in these very Druid temples of our own island, which we are speaking of. The people who live at _Chippin-Norton_ and all the country round our first described temple of _Rowldrich_; affirm most constantly and as surely believe it, that the stones composing this work are a king, his nobles and commons turn’d into stones. They quote an ancient proverb for it, concerning that tall stone, call’d the king stone. _If_ Long-Compton _thou canst see, Then king of_ England _shall thou be._ And as Mr. _Roger Gale_ wrote once to me from the place: “’tis the creed of all that country, and whoever dares to contradict it, is looked upon as the most audacious free-thinker.” The very same report remains, at the Druid temple of _Stanton-Drew_, in _Somersetshire_, which I shall describe in my next volume. This noble monument is vulgarly call’d the _Weddings_; and they say,’tis a company who assisted at a nuptial solemnity, thus petrify’d. In an orchard near the church, is a cove consisting of three stones, like that of the northern circle in _Abury_, or that of _Longstones_: this they call the parson, the bride, and bridegroom. Other circles are said to be the company dancing: and a separate parcel of stones standing a little from the rest, are call’d the fidlers, or the band of musick. So that vast circle of stones in _Cumberland_ which was a Druid temple, is call’d _long Meg and her daughters_, and verily believed to have been human, turn’d into stones.