Of the work it may be said that it has some claim to novelty, that it is comprehensive in its subjects, and calculated to afford a variety of information both entertaining and instructive. The sentiments exhibited will not perhaps be acceptable to all parties, but they are those of a writer little influenced by the opinions of others, and only desirous of promoting the cause of truth. How far the work may be conducive to that effect the Author does not presume to say; but this he is ready to declare, that the conviction of errors being ever salutary, he will quietly submit to the refutation of any of the many opinions he has advanced, glad that others are right, though he may perchance be

wrong.

SILEBY,

MARCH 10, 1846.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

*

INTRODUCTION.

The created universe is an apt symbol of the Deity, 1--Symbolical

representations of that symbol, 2-The hill in the Garden of Eden was the

earliest symbol, 4-The earth supposed to be a cube, 6—a triple cube, 7—

Other opinions, 8-Indian notions of the form, 10-Theory of the Buddhists,

17 of the Greeks, 19-Mount Ida, 23-Mount Midgard, 25-The idea of

the universe entertained by the Greeks, 26-by the Romans, 29-Pillars

supporting the earth symbols of strength and stability, 30-Other symbolical

supporters, 32-The Nymphæa Lotus, 34-The world is God, 35-This

doctrine zealously controverted by the Christian Fathers of the Church, 42-

Why sacred structures should resemble the form of the world, 43—Of the
Books composing the Sastra, 45, n.

CHAPTER II.

ALTARS AND HIGH PLACES.

Of the religious rites performed by Adam while in the Garden, 47—after

the Fall, 52-The law complete, both moral and religious, taught by the

Deity to Adam, 54-Adam not a savage or rude man, 56-Cain the first

savage, 57-All sacred structures owe their primal origin to the altar of

Adam, 60-Of the altar of Noah, 61-of Abraham, 62-Of heathen altars

and groves,
63-and gardens, 67-Heathen altars on high places, 68-Of the

materials and form of altars, 70-An altar raised by Jacob described, 72—

Barrows, 73-Celtic dun or sacred hill, 77-Edicts enjoining the overthrow

of duns, 78—Certain duns spared, 80-Tomen y Bala, 81-Sacred duns of

ancient Greece and Italy, 82-supposed to be inhabited by spirits, 85-

Pyramids of Egypt, 87-Of the age of their structure, 92-Pyramidal temple

of Belus at Babylon, 95-The Sastra, or sacred books of the Hindùs, 97–

The pagodas, or sacred structures of the Hindùs, 100-Examples, 103-Relics

inclosed in the sacred mounds of the Buddhists, 106-The reverence paid at

tombs, 108-Mexican Teocalli, 112-Of the progress of sacred architecture,

from the altar to the cathedral, 116.

CHAPTER III.

SACRED STONES AND PILLARS.

The pillar the symbol of the Divine Power, 119-The pillars Jachin and

Boaz, 120-The pillar before Indra Subba, 122-The cause of the first

worship of pillars, 123-The establishment of Brahmens in Hindosthan, 124-

The Hyperboreans and Celts, 126-Of the worship of the Male and Female

Powers of Nature, 130-The pre-eminence of the Celtic goddess Ket, 135—

The Copt Oak of Charnwood Forest a Celtic Tau, 136-The introduction of

pillar worship among the Phoenicians, 139--Their use of pillars, 140-Use of

pillars by other nations, 141-The Maypole was a sacred pillar, 145-The

sanctity of the sceptre of kings, 146-Sacred stones still extant in England,

146-Tolmen stones and the new-birth, 148-The Egyptian Obelisk, 151-

The tops of hills the abodes of gods, 156-Pillars atop the barrow, 158--

Pompey's Pillar, 160—The origin of the capitals of pillars, 162-The Logan

or vibrating stone, 164-Symbolical pillars on sepulchral mounds, 169-Of the

power of departed spirits and the Hindù dherna, 173-the worship paid

them, 175-Opheltes the Nemean Jupiter, and temple of Abury, 177-The

temple of Shu-maha-deo-prà, 183—The ancient patriarchal altars were placed

in low situations, 185-The ancient altars of the heathen nations and sub-

sequently their temples, were situate at the foot of eminences, 187-The altars

or temples of the Celts or Druids were generally situate on eminences at the

foot of higher eminences, 188-The Persians and idolaters of later ages

worshipped and builded altars on the summits of hills, 189-Mussulman

imitations of the structures of Hindù idolaters, 191-Other imitations of the

same, 192.

CHAPTER IV.

SACRED TOWERS.

What is understood to be a tower, 194-is of import somewhat different

from the pillar, 195-Fire-towers were denominated Bulls breathing fire, 196-

Towers places of sanctuary, 198-built on mounds, 200-the abode of gods,

202-The temple of Vesta was a tower, 206-Other tower temples, 207-

Towers symbols of the universe, 209-Towers with doors high up the fabric,

211-Chinese towers or pagodas, 212-Irish round towers, 214-why called

bell-houses or fire-towers, 218-General symbolical import of towers, 219.

CHAPTER V.

CAVE TEMPLES.

Why caves should have been used for religious worship, 221-The Corycian

cave was probably one first so used, 223—Other caves of ancient record, 225—

The cave of Makkedah, 227-Titans, the sons of Ouranus and Gaia, were

worshipped in caves, 228-Tydain and Prydain, alias Titan and Saturn, were

Celtic deities worshipped in caves, 230-The Grecian Jupiter was at first

worshipped in a cave, 235-The Nymphean cave of the Odyssey, 237-

Sacred caves of record, 241-Rites performed at the oracular cave of Tro-

phonius, 242-Similar rites in India, 245—Cave of the Black Ceres of Phigalia,

246-of Black Calì in Bengala, 248-of Black Annis near Leicester, 249—

The cave of the Cyclop Polyphemus, 250—of Cacus, 252-Caves in Derby-

shire, 253-Traditional cave near Humberston, 255-Similar caves seen by

Bishop Heber in Hindosthàn, 256-Celtic Cromlechs, 258—were sacred caves

of simple form, 259-Cromlech of Cacus, 262-The Maen Amber, 265-The

interior of the cave of Cacus, and rites there performed, 266—and in other

Celtic caves, 269-Appendages to these caves, 271-Cromlechs with more

than one cell, 272-The kist-vaen, maen-arch or ark of the Cromlech, 274—

The rites performed at and in the kist-vaen, 276—Of the ark of Ket, 279—

Of the tabernacle of Moloch and Chiun, 281-Arks of Osiris of different

forms, 281-The ark Cypselis, 284-Ark of Ericthonius, 284-The symbols

included within these arks, 285-Observations of Clement of Alexandria,

286-The celebrity of these arks, 288-Argus was once the Supreme God,

Argo the Female Power, 290-The ark of the Mosaic Law, 291-Saturn was

under various names the special object of worship in Egypt and northern

Africa, 295-Troglodytes, 296-Temple of Ybsambul, 297-was probably

wrought by Sesostris, 299-is an improvement of the Cromlech, 301-The

Abusha Subba of Abyssinia, 303-Saint George and the Dragon, 305—Of the

form of Egyptian temples, 305-They were intended to represent cave-temples,

312 The Egyptian Labyrinth, 313-Egyptian tombs, 317-The Labyrinth of

Crete, 321-Of Porsena king of Etruria, 322-Etruscan tumuli, 324-What were

the uses of the several cells of the Celtic Cromlech, 326-No Cromlechs extant

in Hindost hàn so perfect as those in Britain, 327-The Indra Subba, 328—The

symbolical import of the several parts, 330-The cave of Elephanta or Garipuri,

333 The Cailasa of Ellora, 334-The Viswa-kurma with pointed arches, 335-

The magnificent temple at Benares, 337-The tumular caves of Greece, 339-of

the Crimea, 347--of Ireland, 349-Some are temples, some sepulchral, 352—

The cave of Danaë not sepulchral, 353-The cave of New Grange both a

temple and sepulchre, 354-The conical ceilings of caves the origin of the

dome, 356-Of the means used in their construction, 357-Origin of the

Gothic arch, 360—The ancients knew how to construct arches of every form,

363-Sacred caves of Zoroaster, 367-Their pyratheia, 369.

CHAPTER VI.

TEMPLES.

The etymology of the word nave, 371—The varied forms of the temple at

Delphi, 373-The sites of temples, 377-Grecian temples, 383-Temples of

Rome and Italy, 385-The reasons for their difference, 387-Of the oblong

form of temples, 392-The capitals of the columns of different nations, 395—

The temples of imperial Rome, 395-Persian temples, 400-Of the aspect

or direction of temples, 401-Why they ought to be built with a direction

toward the east, 406.

CHAPTER VII.

IDOLS.

The image of Jupiter at Olympia, 409-What is an idol; what an image,

412-Vegetable idols, 414-Animal idols, 419-Assemblages of sacred

animals, 423-Holy societies of men and of women, 427-The reverence in

which all these assemblages and societies were held, 430-led to animal

worship, 434-The worship of the Ox, 436-gave the name to Italy, 437-

The worship of the Ram, 441-of other symbolical animals, 442-Compound

idols, 449-The Chimæra, 452-The Sphinx, 455-Compound human forms,

456-Hermean stones, 458- Metamorphoses of animals, 461—Origin of

images, 465-Gigantic images, 470-The materials of images, 474-Conse-

cration of images, 476-The importance of images, 482-Helen, the cause of

the Trojan war, was a stolen image, 485-The worship of images, 487-

Desecration of images, 488-Symbolical import of the image of Jupiter at

Olympia, 491-The evil consequences of idolatry, 493.