Page:The parochial history of Cornwall.djvu/261

Rh the life of man are vended at a moderate rate; as also with fairs on Thursday after Midlent Sunday, and on Thursday after Allhallows.

This place was heretofore for a long time notorious for the vice of excessive topling or toping, not only to the damage of many of the inhabitants' healths and wealth, but also to the loss of too many lives; I mean in the time of Charles II. when the practice of quaffing, toasting, or healthing, debauch and immorality, overspread the land in general.

In this parish stands Castell-an-Dinas. It consists of about six acres of ground, within three circles or intrenchments, upon the top of a pyramidal hill, composed or built of turf and unwrought stones, after the British manner, without lime or mortar, comparatively a hedge; each of those circles or ramparts rising about eight foot above each other towards the centre of the castle, consisting of about an acre and a half of land, in the midst whereof appear the ruins of some old dilapidated houses; near which is a flat vallum, pit, or tank, wherein rain or cloud-water, that falls down from the middle regions, abides more or less in quantity as it falls one half of the year; which, I suppose, heretofore supplied the soldiers' occasions, as no fountain, spring, or river water is within a thousand paces thereof. There were two gates or portals leading to this fort, the one on the east, the other on the west side thereof, which, on a stony causeway now covered with grass, conducts you up and down the hill towards Tre-kyning, that is to say the king's, prince, or ruler's town. Moreover, contiguous with this castle are tenements of land or fields, named Tre-saddarne, that is to say god Saturn's town, a place where the god Saturn was worshipped by the soldiers, who probably had their temple or chapel here before Christianity.

Near this castle, by the highway, stands the Coyt, a stony tumulus so called, of which sort there are many