74 



in niches, and sometimes the god or goddess held on the 

 flat hand that little goddess of Victory as here represented ; 

 for this goddess was one of the most common during the 

 imperial time of Rome. In the other representation (admir- 

 ably enlarged by Mr. Irvine after a woodcut in Mr. CoUingwood 

 Bruce's work on the Northern Wall) you have two " Victorys " 

 with one garland between them. It is taken from Mr. Bruce's 

 work, and is intended, in a splendid and exaggerated form, 

 to depict the glories of Legion XX. It would be a sign or 

 blazonry of the Legion, and probably occupied inside the 

 gates a pre-eminence on the walls. There the small garland 

 of Victory was transformed into a vast wreath, which took two 

 Victorys to present it to the view. The effect of these grace- 

 ful figures on either side is something like tlie " supporters" 

 in modem heraldry; only more pleasing. That is plainly what 

 you have represented in the fragments under consideration ; 

 but here you have the Sun — and Bath was known under the 

 name of Aquce Soils — depicted in the midst of a double 

 garland, which two Victorys are holding up, with the 

 globe for a foot-rest ; but it is much more highly per- 

 fect as a work of art than the other. The one Irom the 

 Roman wall was worthy a camp ; the one in the vestibule 

 was fit for a polished Roman city. In order to convey to 

 you who are present some idea of the importance of Victory 

 in the minds of the Romans of the first four centuries, I have 

 marked in the work of Bruce a half-dozen places in which 

 this symbolic figure (the single Victory), whole or in frag- 

 ment, is pictured after relics actually found along the line of 

 the wall. 



The goddess also bears an important place in general 

 history. I have already stated that the hall in which 

 the Senate met at Rome was, in fact, a temple of Victory, and 

 that there was a statue of Victoria which had been brought 

 by Julius Caesar from Magna Grsecia and consecrated there. 



