the Egyptians in their hieroglyphics expreffed Ifis by horns, and the Etrufcans and Greeks ornamented their deities with horns. Dr. Spencer fhews, that long before the age of Mofes, the horn was the emblem of strength and royalty, of dignity, and excellency. Arnobius fays, rivers were represented by horned ftatues; and Porphyrius, that every facred image had its particular horns allotted them; but the learned J. Douglas (in his Annal. Sacr.) proves that the altars of the antient heathens were made entirely of horns; miror & innumeris ftructam de cornibus aram. (Cydippe, Ov. Ep. 20.) whence the Irish words carn an altar, carnac a prieft, fuit-cearnach a donation to a religious purpose, and hence the Latin Carneus Apollo. Jupiter's nurfe Almathæa, (i. e. the Irish Am-alt-itha or the mother nurfing Itha) was represented by a horn full of fruits and flowers, a cornucopia, which still paffes for a fymbol of plenty, though the phyfical reafon and ground of the device, has been long fwallowed up in fable and romance, while nothing more was fignified by it, than that plenty of the rich fruits of the earth is produced by the operations of the horns or rays of light, and one name in Hebrew for that fire at the orb of the fun was chriun, whence the Irish chrian or grian, the fun, the folar heat, and the Latin Granneus Apollo; hence alfo the Irish Cruinne, the Mundane fyftem.

There is a curious paffage in Inghiramius's Etrufcan antiquities, tranflated into Latin from the Etrufcan, that not only points out the origin of our Anu*,

*See Preface.

from

from whence the Latins formed Diana, but fhews that the great Meufe deer was common in Italy as well as in Ireland, but at that diftant age, was an animal unknown to the Etrufcans. The infcription was written on lead by Profperus Fefulanus in Ulterranenfi Collegio Augurum Socius, and runs thus: -" poftridie, dum foderent in loco, ubi futura erat porta, inventa funt Cornua Cervina immenfæ magnitu dinis, quæ eum ad fex cubitos fepulta effent; vifum eft omnibus prodigium; cornua Di-Anæ folemni ritu & facris ceremoniis dicata fure; ædificata arce, Mutius Maurus primus cuftos, aurea cornua eorum loco pofuit fuper aram, & quæ inventa fuerunt fubter aramad tres cubitos in templo ipfius Di-Anæ." The fame is recorded by Alcus Filaccus; and the infcription concludes with these words, "demum defperata falute hic ea repofui, quæ ad Di-Anam pertinent, nè eis Romani potirentur. Profperus Cuftos Arcis."

Thefe horns were facred to Ana or Anu, who with Ith and Dagh prefided over the produce of the earth and waters, and were denominated Mathar, i. e. firft caufe, whence the Romans formed their unknown gods, the Deæ Matres, that Spon takes for deified women, who while living, were thought to have the gift of prophecy; but the Druids taught they were only the Adhbhan or Abhan, compounded of abhar, the cause or infirument of fertility, acting under the power of far (God) and hence they were denominated Aufanii. But the etymology of Anu is in the Irish language fignifying a cornucopia; a cup, plenty, &c. The fub-druids always carried an Anu with them, and it was held facred, that every fpring in Ireland, fhould be fupplied with a horn chained.

to

to a fione. Sir John Chardin remarks, that the dervifes of the east always carry with them the horn of a goat or of an ox.

In the third vol. of the Archæologia of the London Society of Antiquaries, are the drawings of fix horns, and a very ingenious differtation on the Charter Horn, by Mr. Pegge. The Pufey horn (there described) is that of an ox, tipped with filver, and mounted with feet, like ours; on the middle ring is this infcription in black letter.

King Knowde geve William Pewse

This Horne to holde by thy Londe.

The horn of Corpus Chrifti College Cambridge, is also that of an ox, and mounted with feet. The charter horns of Carlifle cathedral, as they are improperly called, are fuppofed to be the teeth of fome very large fish; they were given by Hen. I. to the prior and convent of Carlisle, with a large eftate to be held per quoddam cornu eburneum. Lord Bruce's horn is an elephant's horn or tooth; it is a hunting horn, flung, and most elegantly ornamented.

The Earl of Ormond's horn is remarkable. In his will, dated July 31ft, 1515, he makes particular mention of it, as in this extract, taken by Thomas Aftle, Efq; from the register called Holder, in the Prerogative Office, viz. "I Thomas Butler, Knt. erle of Ormond do make this my last will and testament, &c. Item I give and devife to my dar dame Anne St. Leger-to my dar dame Margt Bolin, late the wife of Sir Wm Bolin Knt, my manor of Newhall in Effex-Item when my Lorde my father, whose foul

foul God affoile, left and delivered unto me a lytle whyte borne of ivory, garnished at both thendes with gold, and corfe thereunto of whyte fylke, barred with barres of gold, and atyret of gold thereupon, which was myn auncetours at fyrst time they were called to bonour, and hath fythen contynually remained in the fame blode, for whych cause my seid lorde and father commanded me upon his bleffing, that I fhould do my devoir to cause it to contynue ftill in my blode as far furth as that myght lye in me foo to be done to the honor of the fame blode. Therefore for the accomplishment of my feid father's will, as farr as it is in me to execute the fame, I woll that my executors delyver unto Sir Tho. Boleyn, Knt. fon and heir apparent of my said dar Margaret, the faid lytle white horne and corfe, he to keep the fame to the use thiffue male of his body lawfully begotten. And fo lack of fuch iffue the faid horne to remayne and b delyvered to Sir Geo. Seyntleger Knt. fon of my fai dar Anne, and to the iffue male which fucceffively fhall come of the body of the said George. And f to contynue in the iffue male of the bodies of the fame dame Margaret and dame Anne, as long as fhall fortune any fuch iffue male of the body of any of my faid daughters. And alls for default of iffue male of the body of any of my faid daughters, the faid borne to remaine, and to be delivered to the next iffue male of my faid auncetours, fo that it may contynew ftyl in my blode hereafter, as long as it fhall pleafe God, lyke as it hath done hytherto to the honor of the fame blode."

The antiquity of our horn may be judged by the letters I. H. C, which are either the three first of the