NOTITIA. 237 



they were long or permanently attached*: next four numeri, 

 named from the duties which belong to advanced posts, all sta- 

 tioned northward from York, or toward the dangerous frontier : 

 and, finally, four numeri, which, if we judge from the last two, 

 may be regarded as local soldiery specially attached to, if not 

 raised by the towns whose name they bear, a circumstance not 

 at all inconsistent with the probable state of Britain at the mo- 

 ment when their Protectors were about to retire. 



It is remarkable that Isurium and Catarractonium on the 

 north, Olicana on the west, Delgovitia and Prsetorium on the 

 east, and Calcaria and Legeolium on the south, have no troops, 

 and that nothing remains at Eburacum but the Dalmatian Horse. 

 These circumstances seem to show that the country for a long 

 space round York was free from alarm, and indicate that the 

 Derventio here mentioned is not that station which is placed at 

 VII. miles from Eburacum. As neither Morbium, Arbeia, Dictis, 

 Concangium, Maglovae, Magis or Longovicus, are mentioned by 

 Ptolemy or in the Itinera, it may be a fruitless labour to seek 

 their true places. Still something may be attempted. 



Probably the third troop of cavalry the Cuirassiers were, 

 like the others, retained within command of the Prsefect of the 

 Legion at York, ready to defend, if necessary, the eastern coast 

 and river. Morbium, its station at this time, would by its ety- 

 mology (Mor, Br., is the sea) be placed on the sea-coast (as, for 

 example, at Swine in Holderness) ; or by some Marsh (Morfa), 

 such as occur near Thorne. It is a conjecture of Horsley, that 

 it may be put at Brough-hill (Templebrough) near Rotherham. 



For Arbeia and Dictis, with their peculiar and perhaps long 

 stationary garrisons, we have no definite place. They are men- 

 tioned in no other document. Arbeia has been written against 

 Moresby in Cumberland, and Dictis at Ambleside. If they were 

 placed on our coast, the document would be consistent, and all 



* Just as the foreign troops stationed on the Saxon shore receive in 

 the same document the additional names of Branodunensis at Branodunum, 

 and Gariannonensis at Gariannonum. 



