The National Music of Wales ... continued xxxxxxxxxxxxxxpage 5
John Thomas (Pencerdd Gwalia). From Y Cymmrodor, 1878

On the other hand, the Greeks appear to have been acquainted with the British Isles, from the following description given by Diodorus Siculus, half a century before the Christian era. He says:

"There is an Island over against Gaul, the size of Sicily, under the Arctic pole, inhabited by the Hyperboreans, so called because they lie far north. They say that Latona was born there, and therefore that they worship Apollo above all other gods, because they daily sing songs in praise of this god, and ascribe to him the highest honours. They say that these inhabitants demean themselves as if they were the priests of Apollo, who has there a stately grove and renowned Temple of a circular form, beautified with many rich gifts; that there is a city likewise consecrated to this god, whose citizens are most of them harpers, who, playing upon the harp, chaunt sacred hymns to Apollo in the Temple, setting forth his glorious acts. The Hyperboreans use their own natural language; but, of long and ancient time, have had a special kindness for the Grecians; and more especially for the Athenians and the Delians; and that some of the Grecians passed over to the Hyperboreans, and left behind them divers presents (or things dedicated to the gods) inscribed with Greek characters; and that Abaris formerly travelled thence into Greece and renewed the ancient league of friendship with the Delians."

Julius Caesar, in his Commentaries, states that the Druids made use of the Greek characters and gives reasons for their doing so. In explaining the system of education adopted among their disciples, he says:-

They are taught to repeat a great number of verses by heart, and often spend twenty years therein, for it is deemed unlawful to commit their statutes to writing; though in other matters, whether public or private, they make use of Greek characters. They seem to me to follow this method for two reasons, - to hide their mysteries from the knowledge of the vulgar, and to exercise the memory of their scholars."

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