18
"The First Iter is entitled 'A Route from the Limit, that is, from the Roman Wall, to Prætorium[errata 1], 156 miles.' It begins thus—
First Proof.
'From BREMINIVM to CORSTOPITVM, XX miles.'" (Roman of course,—Ed.)
High Rochester is now distant from Morpeth (Camden's Corstopitum[errata 2]) 27 English Miles, or nearly XXX miles (Roman), each English mile being equal to 1·09202 (Roman miles).
Now, either Bremenium is like the house of the lady of Loretto, possessed of the miraculous power of locomotion, or, Bremenium cannot have been discovered at High Rochester.—Q.E.D.
Again, "The Second Iter begins at the Roman Wall. * * * The first portion of it bears upon our present investigation."
"From BLATVM BVLGIVM to CASTRA EXPLORATORVM, XII miles," that is—From Bulness, (probably now called Bowness,) in Cumberland (Blatum Bulgium meaning in plain English a Babbling Bubbling Sea or Estuary,) the distance to High Rochester is upwards of fifty English miles, consequently, the Castra Exploratorum cannot be High Rochester, but may, with more probability be found at Carlisle or in its neighbourhood.
Now, let us proceed to the Rochester inscriptions brought forward in support of the Archæological Society's statement, and, should these too, as I think they will, prove adverse to their opinion, that opinion should no longer be opposed to truth for the purpose of maintaining the existence, or nonexistence, of an empty name. Roman inscriptions were evidently set up for some better purpose than this.** Vide Suetonus ad finem. Their own historians used them as the landmarks or lighthouses of historical truth, and may we not apply them still to the same purpose?[errata 3] Correctly translated, they may throw some light upon that part of our history in connexion with the Romans, which has been so long lost.
See Plate 1.
Fig. 2.
| Roman Wall, page 382. | ||
| Inscription. | ||
| GENIO ET SIGNIS | ||
| COH I FARDVL | ||
| CR EQ. | X | |
| TLICINIVS VALERI | ||
| ANVS TRIE | ||
Errata
