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STONE-PILLAR WORSHIP IN IRELAND.

In a work recently published by the Earl of Roden, entitled Progress of the Reformation in Ireland, there occurs a curious. account of a remnant of this ancient form of fetichism still existing in Inniskea, an island off the coast of Mayo, with about three hundred and eighty inhabitants, amongst whom, he says,—

A stone carefully wrapped up in flannel is brought out at certain periods to be adored; and when a storm arises, this god is supplicated to send a wreck on their coast.-P. 51.

A correspondent in the same volume writes to Lord Roden that—

They all speak the Irish language, and among them is a trace of that government by chiefs, which in former times prevailed in Ireland: the present chief or king of Inniskea is an intelligent peasant called CAIN, whose authority is acknowledged, and the settlement of all disputes is referred to his decision. Though nominally Roman Catholics, these islanders have no priest resident among them; they know nothing of the tenets of that church, and their worship consists in occasional meetings at their chief's house, with visits to a holy well called Derivla. The absence of religion is supplied by the open practice of pagan idolatry. In the south island a stone idol, called in the Irish Neevougi, has been from time immemorial religiously preserved and worshipped.

This god resembles in appearance a thick roll of homespun flannel, which arises from the custom of dedicating to it a dress of that material whenever its aid is sought; this is sewed on by an old woman, its priestess. Of the early history of this idol no authentic information can be procured, but its power is believed to be immense; they pray to it in time of sickness, it is invoked when a storm is desired to dash some hapless ship upon their coast, and again it is solicited to calm the waves to admit of the islanders fishing or visiting the main land.-Ib. pp. 53, 54.

This statement, irrespective of graver reflections, is suggestive of a curious inquiry, whether this point of Ireland, on the utmost western verge of Europe, be not the last spot in Christendom in which a trace can now be found of stone-pillar worship?—the most ancient of all forms of idolatry known to the records of the human race; and the most widely extended, since at one time or another it has prevailed in every nation of the old world, from the shores of Lapland to the confines of India; and, I apprehend, vestiges of its former existence are to be traced on the continent of America.

In all parts of Ireland these stone pillars are to be found in comparative frequency. Accounts of them will be found in The Ancient and Present State of the County Down, a. D. 1744; in Wakeman's Handbook of Irish Antiquities, and in various similar authorities. A writer in the Archæologia for A. d. 1800, says that many of the stone crosses which form so interesting and beautiful a feature in Irish antiquities were originally pagan pillar-stones, on which the cross was sculptured subsequent to the introduction of Christianity, in order that

The common people, who were not easily to be diverted from their superstitious reverence for these stones, might pay a kind of justifiable adoration to them when thus appropriated to the use of Christian memorials by the sign of the cross.-Archæol. vol. xiii. p. 208.

The tenacity of the Irish people to this ancient superstition is established by the fact of its continuance to the present day in the sequestered island of Inniskea. It would be an object of cu

rious inquiry to ascertain whether this be the last remnant of pillar-worship now remaining in Europe; and especially whether any further trace of it is to be found in any other portion of the British dominions.

GALLOSHES.

In the Promptorium Parvulorum we find-
GALACHE or GALOCHE, undersolynge of manny's fote.

Mr. Way says in his note :—

The galache was a sort of patten, fastened to the foot by cross latchets, and worn by men as early as the time of Edward III. Allusion is made to it by Chaucer :

Ne were worthy to unbocle his galoche.

Squires Tale, 10,869.

Among other quotations, Mr. Way gives the following:

To geten hym gilte spores,

Or galoches y-couped.

Piers Ploughman, 12,099.

And in the Wardrobe Book of Prince Henry, A. D. 1607, are mentioned-

1 pair of golossians, 6s.: 16 gold buckles with pendants and toungs to buckle a pair of golosses.—Archæol. xi. 93.

Cole, in his English dictionary, 1724, has-

Galeges, galages, galloches, galloshoes, Fr., wooden shoes all of a piece. With us outward shoes or cases for dirty weather, &c.

The word itself most likely comes to us from the French. The dictionaries refer to Spenser as using it under the form galage; and it occurs written galege, galosh, calosh, &c.

Boyer's Dictionnaire Royal, edit. 1753, has the following definition:

Galoche (espèce de mule que l'on porte par dessus les souliers), galoshoe.

The French borrowed the term from the Latin Gallicæ; but

the Romans first derived the idea and the thing itself from Gaul, Gallicæ denoting Gallic or Gaulish shoes. Cicero speaks of the Gallica with contempt: "Cum calceis et toga, nullis nec gallicis nec lacerna;" and again, "Cum gallicis et lacerna cucurristi " (Philip. ii. 30). Blount, in his Law Dictionary (1670), gives the following, which refers to one very early use of the term in this country:

GALEGE (galicia), from the French galloches, which signified of old a certain shoe worn by the Gauls in foul weather, as at present the signification with us does not much differ. It is mentioned 4 Edw. IV. cap. 7, and 14 & 15 Hen. VIII. cap. 9.

Therefore the thing itself and the word were known among us before America was discovered. As it regards the Latin word Gallica, it is used by Cicero, Tertullian, and A. Gellius. The last named, in the Noctes Attica, gives the following anecdote and observations relating to this word: T. Castricius, a teacher of rhetoric at Rome, observing that some of his pupils were, on a holiday, as he deemed, unsuitably attired, and shod (soleati) with gallica (galloches, sabots, wooden shoes or clogs), he expressed in strong terms his disapprobation. He stated it to be unworthy of their rank, and referred to the above-cited passage from CiSome of his hearers inquired why he called those soleati who wore goloshes (gallica) and not shoes (solea). The expres sion is justified by a statement which sufficiently describes the goloshes, viz., that they call solea (shoes) all those which cover only the lower portions of the foot, and are fastened with straps. The author adds:

cero.

I think that gallica is a new word, which was begun to be used not long before Cicero's time, therefore used by him in the Second of the Antonians. "Cum gallicis," says he, "et lacerna. cucurrusti." Nor do I read it in any other writer of authority, but other words are employed.

The Romans named shoes after persons and places as we do:

for examples, see Dr. W. Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, sub voc.

66

Calceus."

WHIG AND TORY.

The derivation of these terms, as applied to the two extreme parties in politics, is a much vexed question, which will probably never be satisfactorily settled. That stanch tory, Roger North, in his Examen, has referred the origin of the name of his party to their connection with the Duke of York and his popish allies.

It is easy (says North) to imagine how rampant these procurators of power, the Exclusioners, were under such circumstances of advantage as at that time prevailed; everywhere insulting and menacing the royalists, as was done in all the terms of common conversation, and the latter had the wind in their faces, the votes of the house and the rabble into the bargain. This trade, then not much opposed, naturally led to a common use of slighting and opprobrious names, such as Yorkist. That served for mere distinction, but did not scandalize or reflect enough. Then they came to Tantivy, which implied riding post to Rome. Observe, all the while the royal church party were passive; the outrage lay wholly on the other side. These observing that the Duke favored Irishmen, all his friends, or those accounted such by appearing against the Exclusion, were straight become Irish; thence bog-trotters, and in the copia of the factious language, the word Tory was entertained, which signified the most despicable savages among the wild Irish; and being a vocal and clear-sounding word, readily pronounced, it kept its hold, and took possession of the foul mouths of the faction.

Burton, in vol. ii. of his Parliamentary Diary on the state of Ireland, under date of June 10, 1657, has the following passage :

Tory is said to be the Irish word Toree, that is, Give me, which was the summons of surrender used by the banditti, to whom the name was originally applied.

In support of this assertion it may be as well to state that Tory or Terry Island, on the coast of Donegal, is said to have taken its name from the robbers by whom it was formerly in

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