21
Extract from Butler's Commentary.
"A BREMENIO.
"Here, then, we begin at Bremenium, xiv. miles beyond the wall. The name of the station has met with much interpolation, whether through the transcriber's fault, or composers at the presse, or both, it much matters not. Aldus hath Remaenio, but that may be soon mended. Simler prints it Bramenio, which Ortelius seems to accept of, and our William Harrison followes him. Bremenio, as it appears, was constantly written in all those old books, and they not a few, which Surita used; otherwise he would have noted it. So, likewise, all Ptolemies' copies have it which I have seen (Bremenion) except that which otherwise is accounted the very best, published by Petrus Bertius out of the Palatin M.S. where you have Aremenion, Aremenium, doubtlessely by the printer's mistake. In him it is a City of the Otadenoi, Otadeni. And certainly the true name is Bremenium, which the inscription of an old altar makes** In this I must take leave to differ from the learned author. unquestionable, taken up at Rochester, (i.e. castrum in Rupe,) in Northumberland, standing upon the brow of a steep rising hill whence it is named,†† I should certainly say not-named from Castrum in Rupe, but from Romanis Castris. not far from the spring or head of the Rhead, where it was found buried among the rubbish of an ancient Castrum, or Camp."
I will here give Butler's inscription and translation, with my own translation afterwards, which widely differs from Butler's interpretation of the inscription.
Roman Inscription found at High Rochester, as published by Butler, a.d. 1658.
DUPL. N. EXPLOR.
BREMEN. ARAM
INSTITUERUNT
N. EJUSC. CAE P
CHARITINO TRIB
V. S. L M
