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within a century parts of the island were only accessible by 

 riding. 



But since then a mighty change has taken place. The 

 turnpike roads in England had been brought to a state of 

 perfection quite remarkable, when they were superseded by 

 the newly-invented railway, which was destined to remove 

 from them all the direct travelling and the heavy traffic of the 

 island. These are the great achievements of modern times, and 

 it is instructive to contrast the ancient system of Roman 

 roads in its perfect condition with our present iron-bound 

 way, and see how the lines of railroad, which now form a 

 network over every part of the island, very often run in the 

 same lines as the ancient Roman roads. A comparison of the 

 different systems is very suggestive of the changes that have 

 taken place in the habits and manners of the people, where the 

 physical features of the country must remain much the same. 

 When the Roman first entered Britain, and found only the 

 trackways of the native inhabitants, the effort was probably 

 as great, and it required as much skill to construct his lines 

 of communication, as it • has needed in modem times, with 

 modem experience and modern appliances, to constmct 

 those lines of rapid communication which are the great feature 

 of the present age. 



