ANTIQUITIES. 



of history. Amphitheatres are said to be 

 still visible at Silchester, in Hampshire, 

 and some other places. The Roman cas- 

 tle at Richborough, the ancient Rutupiae, 

 in Kent, presents considerable remains of 

 a massy wall cemented with surprising 

 firmness. The Roman ruins in this coun- 

 try are commonly composed of stone or 

 Hint, v. ith strata of flat bricks at consider- 

 able intervals. The Mosaic pavements, 

 hypocausts, &c. are generally the remains 

 of the villas of opulent Romans, scattered 

 over the country. The greatest number 

 of Roman inscriptions, altars, &c. has 

 been found in the north, along the great 

 frontier wall, which extended from the 

 western sea to the estuary of the Tyne. 

 This vast wall is justly esteemed the most 

 important remain of the Roman power 

 in England,as that of Antoninus is in Scot- 

 land. The extent was about 70 miles, 

 and its construction, forts, &c. have been 

 illustrated by the labour of several an- 

 tiquaries. Numerous are the more minute 

 relics of the Romans in England, as coins, 

 gems, weapons, ornaments, and the like ; 

 among which, however, the silver dish 

 belonging to the Duke of Northumber- 

 land deserves especial mention. One of 

 the grand causes of the civilization intro- 

 duced by that ruling people into the con- 

 quered states was the highways, which 

 form, indeed, the first germ of national 

 industry, and without which neither com- 

 merce nor society can make any consider- 

 able progress. Conscious of this truth, 

 the Romans seem to have lent particular 

 attention to the construction of roads in 

 the distant provinces ; and those of Eng- 

 land, which may still be traced in various 

 ramifications, present a lasting monument 

 of the justice of their conceptions, the 

 extent of their views, and the utility of 

 their power. A grand trunk, as it may 

 be called, passed from the south to the 

 north, and another to the west, with 

 branches, in almost every direction that 

 general convenience and expedition could 

 require. What is called the Watling- 

 street, led from Richborough, in Kmt, 

 the ancient Rutupiae, N. W. through Lon- 

 don to Chester. The Ermin-street passed 

 from London to Lincoln, 1 hence to Car- 

 lisle, and into Scotland, the name being 

 supposed to be corrupted from Herman, 

 which means warrior, as the chief wars 

 lay in the north. The Fosse Way is sup- 

 posed to have led from Bath and the 

 western regions, N. E. till it joined the 

 Ermin-street. The last celebrated road 

 was the Ikenild, or Ikneld, supposed to 

 have extended from near Norwich, S. W. 



into Dorsetshire. The Saxon antiquities 

 in England are chiefly edifices, sacred or 

 secular ; many churches remain, which 

 were altogether, or for the most part, 

 constructed in the Saxon period, and 

 some are extant of the tenth, or per- 

 haps the ninth century. The vaults erect- 

 ed by Grimbald, at Oxford, in the reign 

 of Alfred, are justly esteemed curious 

 relics of Saxon architecture. Mr. King 

 has ably illustrated the remains of the 

 Saxon castles. The oldest seem to con- 

 sist of one solitary tower, square or 

 hexagonal : one of the rudest specimens 

 is Coningsburg Castle, in Yorkshire; but 

 as that region was subject to the Danes 

 till the middle of the tenth century, it is 

 probably Danish. Among the smaller re- 

 mains of Saxon art may be mentioned, the 

 shrines for preserving relics, which some 

 suppose to present the diminutive rudi- 

 ments of what is styled the Gothic archi- 

 tecture; and.the illuminated manuscripts, 

 which often' afford curious memorials of 

 the state of manners and knowledge. The 

 Danish power in England, though of con- 

 siderable duration in the north, was in 

 the south brief and transitory. The camps 

 of that nation were circular, like those of 

 the Belgae and Saxons, while those of 

 Roman armies arc known by the square 

 form : and it is believed that the only 

 distinct relics of the Danes are some cas- 

 tles to the north of the Humber, and a. 

 few stones with Runic inscriptions. The 

 monuments styled Norman, rather to dis- 

 tinguish their epoch than from any infor- 

 mation that Norman architects were 

 employed, are reputed to commence after 

 the conquest, and to extend to the four- 

 teenth century, when what is called the 

 rich Gothic began to appear, which in tiu- 

 sixteenth century was supplanted by the 

 mixed, and this in its turn yielded to the 

 Grecian. In general, the Norman style- 

 far exceeds the Saxon in the size of die 

 edifices, and the decor.ition of the parts 

 The churches become more extensive 

 and lofty, and though the windows retain 

 the circular arch, they are larger and 

 more diversified ; the circular doors an- 

 festooned with more freedom and ele- 

 gance ; and uncouth animals begin to 

 yield to wreaths of leaves and fl<> 

 The solitary keep, or tower, of the Saxon 

 castle is surrounded .with a double wall, 

 inclosing courts and dwellings of largo 

 extent, defended by turrets and double 

 ditches, with a separate watch-towi i- 

 called the Barbican. Among others, th<- 

 cathedrals of Durham and Wiiu-hcstrr 

 may be mentioned as venerable monu- 



