À bout de souffle

deller's stone henge deflated




 STONEHENGE. This place contains in it, within the circumference of three Hun|dred foot, a rude and indigested Mass of vast large Stones, rough, and of a grey colour, 25 Foot in length, 10 in breadth, and 8 in thickness; they look as if they were hewen square, and are joined two and two toge|ther, and every couple hath a third Stone lying a-cross, which is fastened by Tennants that enter into Mortesses, not closed with a|ny Morter. It appears as if they had been set in three Ranks going round, as Circles, one within another, whereof the uttermost and largest is in compass about 300 Foot, but the other Ranks are decayed, and some of them being faln down to the ground, 'tis very dif|ficult to reckon how many there are; like|wise it seems very strange, how such im|mense Bulks should happen here, where there is no Stones of any small demension within the Neighbourhood: Whereupon some are of an Opinion, That they are not purely na|tural, or had their growth in this place. 'Tis now generally credited and believed, that they were a Monument set up by Au|relius Ambrose, in Remembrance of the Brit|tains that were Slain and Buried there, in the Reign of Vortiger, at a Banquet and Com|munication of Hengist, which the Saxons and

Brittish Chronicles testifie, That whereas the Saxons about the Year of our Lord 450. had slain Four hundred and eighty of the Brittish Nobili|ty by Treachery, under a Colour of a Parley and Treaty; this Aurelius Ambrose being then King of the Brittains, desirous to continue their Memo|ry, as well as the Infamy of his base and treache|rous Enemies, caused these Stones to be set up in the very place of their Death and Burial, the which Stones had been first brought out of Africk into Ireland, and there placed on Mount Killare, and from thence, by the Art and Magick of Mer|lina, a renowned Magician in that Age, were at length conveyed to this place upon this very Occa|sion. Others think, that the Brittains did E|rect this, as a Monument for Ambrosius him|self, to perpetuate his glorious Name to Po|sterity, who died afterwards upon this place by the Sword, in the Answer of their Quar|rel, and Vindication of their Liberties; how|ever certain it is, that there are thereabouts certain little Hills, or Banks, under which there are sometimes found Bones of tall, gi|gantick Men, and pieces of Armour; and not far from hence, remains still some of the Ruins of an old kind of Fortress, which the Romans, as it is probable, did raise for them|selves, during their Possession of these our Territories, &c.

Brome, James, d. 1719.
Title: An historical account of Mr. Rogers's three years travels over England and Wales giving a true and exact description of all the chiefest cities, towns and corporations in England, Dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick upon Twede : together with the antiquities, and places of admiration, cathedrals, churches of note in any city, town or place in each county, the gentleman above-mentioned having made it his whole business (during the aforesaid time) to compleat the same in his travelling, : to which is annexed a new map of England and Wales, with the adjacent parts, containing all the cities and market towns bound in just before the title.
Date: 1694