PROBABLE DATE OF THE EOxMAN OCCUPATION 123 



which reads CHO. T FRISIAVO. 0. YAL YITALIS, i.e., 

 Cohortis Primae Frisiauonum Centurio Valerius Vitalis, 

 " Valerius Yitalis, Centurion of the First Cohort of the 

 Frisiavones." ^ The occasion of this inscription cannot 

 be precisely determined; a probable conjecture is that it 

 was set up when the wall of the fort was repaired, or 

 possibly even when it was originally built, by the First 

 Cohort of the Frisians. A cohort, usually about 600 

 strong, was the normal garrison of a fort of the Melandra 

 type. Similar centurial stones of the same cohort are 

 found in the remains of the Eoman fortress of Manchester 

 (Mancunium), the occasion of one at least of which * was 

 the building of a portion of the wall of the fort. This is 

 indicated by P. XXIIII., signifying the length of wall 

 built by the Cohort. The " Notitia Dignitatum," an 

 imperial record of Eoman officials dating probably from 

 the earlier part of the fifth century a.d., mentions as 

 stationed at Yindobala, on the Eoman wall in N. Britain, 

 '■ The Tribune of the First Cohort of the Frixagi." This 

 has been conjecturally identified (possibly the reading is 

 corrupt) with the First Cohort of the Frisians ; but in any 

 case, owing to its late date, it has little bearing on the 

 occupation of Melandra. Much more to the point is the 



3. [I cannot succeed in recalling the author of what seems the very 

 plausible conjecture that these very Dutchmen may have been among the 

 lectissimi auxiliarium, " the flower of the cohorts of our allies," of whom 

 Agricola made such striking use in his invasion of Anglesey (Mona). 

 Tacitus tells us (Agric. 18, 5) that when he saw the shore of the island 

 on the other side of the (Menai) Strait full of warriors and Druids, he 

 sent across these auxiliaries, "who were familiar with the task of fording 

 and were practised swimmers in their own country, taking both their 

 arms and their horses with them over the water to be crossed." If so, 

 the presence of these Frisians at Mona in the year 78 will be another 

 welcome encouragement for referring the foundation of Melandra to 

 Agricola's time. In any case, the reason for sending a cohort from the 

 Low Countries to both Melandra and Manchester becomes abundantly 

 clear from Prof. Boyd Dawkins' description (supra, p. 2). Round 

 Melandra the thirstiest Dutchman could swim to his heart's content 

 Ed.] 



4. C.I.L., vii., 213 ; our insc. is given in the same section. 



