35 
OLD ROADS AND PATHS. 
By F. HARRISON. 
(Read at Carlisle.) 
Tue study of this subject has the advantage of being within the 
reach of all. They are objects that must be familiar to most of 
you. No one can take a walk abroad without getting on to some 
road or pathway. If you are making for the open country, possibly 
k 
, 
some lovely rural lane will invite you on and on by the attractions 
of its rural splendours. Some ancient highway may carry you cver 
the country upon a longer and more important journey, or you may 
wander in the solitude of some lonely footpath. But any or all of 
these abound with interest, and will not fail to supply matter for 
_ Teflection to the thoughtful mind. 
When we consider the origin of some of our ancient roads and 
paths, we are carried at once to the earliest races of men that 
_ wandered over the hills and through the valleys of this fair land of 
ours—glorious old England. But if in our walk we should begin 
to note all the objects of interest that may be seen from almost any 
of our old roads and paths, we see opening out subjects for a course 
of lectures, rather than for a short paper of a few minutes’ duration. 
“All roads lead to Rome” was undoubtedly true when the 
_ Imperial sceptre of the Czesar’s ruled the whole known world; when 
Rome was the centre of civilization and the seat of government of 
the greater portion of the civilized world. And here in our district 
we have the impress of Rome, “ Proud mistress of the world,” in 
many of the old roads and paths of this district even to-day. 
