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the famous Foss Way. This is the Isis, which afterwards 
receiving the Thames takes the compounded name of Thamesis, 
chief King of British rivers, of which one may justly say that 
it both sows and waters Britain, as the ancients said of the 
Euphrates in the East.” 
Rudder says, “‘ This river has generally been considered to be 
the head of the Thames, which, according to current opinion, had 
that name from the two rivers Thame and Isis, as their waters join 
near Dorchester in Oxfordshire.” 
This derivation is not confirmed by old charters, which mention 
the river always as “ Temes” before it comes near Thame. There 
is a charter granted to Abbot Aldhelm, in which it is written Temes, 
and in other charters granted to Malmesbury Abbey, as well as to 
Evesham, and in old deeds relating to Cricklade, and it never 
occurs under the name Jsis. The common people knew it by no 
other name than Thames, and the Saxons wrote it Temerze, from 
whence we call call it Thames. 
All the historians who mention the incursions of Aithelwolf 
into Wilts (A.D. 905) or in Canute (A.D. 1016), say that they 
passed the Thames at Cricklade. 
The name is probably British, we have Tame in Staffordshire 
and Lancashire, Teme in Herefordshire, Tamar in Cornwall. 
In Wales many rivers have the name Taff, Taf. Czsar always. 
speaks of the river Thames, as “ Tamesis.” 
Names of somerivers beginning with a T are here given :—Thames, 
Tibur, Tigris, Tagus, Tay, Tyne, Tamar, Tavy, Torridge, Teme, Tees, 
Tame. It has been suggested that the Greek word soramoss 
Potamus, a river, is the origin of these, the syllable xo, being 
simply a prefix, “ The River ;” in which case rauos would become 
Thame, or Tame. 
The question is, has the Greek word “ morzuos” a root common 
to other languages, and can it be shown that this word signifies a 
river or water? If so this would account for the same word 
occurring under a variety of pronunciations. The name “ Yeo” 
