A. D. 43. - 



^5i 



a mole or little ifland before It, on which was erected n light houfe In 

 imitation of the Pharos at Alexandria. 



The importation of corn being the branch of trafic which engaged 

 the mofl general attention among the Romans, CLiuuius, during a time 

 of fcarcity, did every thing in his power to perfuade the merchants to 

 import it even in the winter, when it was cuftomary to lay up the (hips. 

 He took upon himfelf all lofles and accidents which might arife from the 

 inclemency of the feafon, and he alfo made the importers fare of a cer- 

 tain rate of profit*. He moreover gave large premiums for building 

 fhips. ISueton. in Claud, cc. 18, 20. — Dion. Cajs. L. Ix.] 



43 — The U'anquiUity of the Britons, and their friendly intercourfe 

 with the Romans and their Gallic iubjeds, were now interrupted. 

 Claudius the Roman emperor, on pretence of reinftating a Britifli refu- 

 gee prince called Beric, fent an army into our ifland ; and Plautius the 

 Roman commander, having conquered fome of the fouth part of t-he 

 country, fent notice of it to the emperor, that he might by his prefence 

 alfume the honour of the conqueft. In the mean time he pofl:ed his ar- 

 my on the fouth bank of the Thames in a flation, which Gale [Antotiim 

 Iter Britanniarum, p. 64] fuppofes to have been near the Horfe-ferry at 

 Lambeth ; and he thinks, that thence the great and flourifliing city of 

 London had its commencement f . The Roman army, with the em- 



• It was an improvement upon the premium of 

 two nummi (almoft four pence (lerling) upon the 

 inoilius (about a peck) of corn, allowed to the 

 mercliants by Tiberius. [ Taciti yinna/i's, L. ii, 

 c. 87.] And this feems the only foundation for an 

 affertiun, that Claudius was the inventor of infur- 

 ance upon fl-u'ps. 



N. B. Thefe regulations did not take place 

 till the year 5 I. But I have introduced them here 

 as fomewhat connefted with the preceding para- 

 graph, and to avoid breaking the connexion of 

 Britifh affairs in the fubfequent years. 



f The arguments of Gale, Salmon, and fome 

 others, for London being originally on the fouth 

 fide of the river, are, i ) The Roman road from 

 Verulam is faid by Ralph Higden [_Polychroniroii, 

 p. 196, ed. Ga/f] to have paCfed to the well ward of 

 the i)rcfent city, and to have crofftd the river at 

 the Horfe-ferr)' near Lambeth, vi'here there are 

 iome remains of Roman works ; and another road, 

 of which Oxford llreet and Old ftrect are parts, 

 ilretched from call to weft, alfo quite away from 

 the prcfent city, int-o which it was afterwards bent. 

 — 2) Ptolemy long after this lime pofitively places 

 l,ondon in the province of Kent, which he extends 

 laithcr weft than its modern limits. The people 

 of Kent, being comparatively an enlightened and 

 commercial nation, eftabliflied an emporium at the 

 extremity of their country in order to enjoy the 

 ■Trade of the inland tribes by the navigation of the 

 Thames. When both fides of the river fell under 



the Roman dominion, an appendage of the town 

 was built on the north bank of the river, which by 

 its more healthy and pleafant fituation attradled the 

 Roman magiftrates, merchants, and principal people, 

 and in proc-efs of time eclipfed the original town. 

 Now, Ptolemy, who accufes Marinus of Tyre of 

 placing London erroneoufly, muft have furely been 

 very careful not to fall into an error himfelf.-»- 

 3) The monk of Ravenna, who hved feveral cen- 

 turies after Ptolemy, has Londini along with fome 

 places on the fouth fide of the Thames ; and he 

 afterwards has Londinium Augufla along with 

 others on the north fide of that river : and, as it 

 is not to be fuppof;;d, that he mentions the fame 

 place twice, there muft have been then a London 

 on C3ch fide of the river. 



To thefe it may be anfwered, — i ) There Is rea- 

 fon to believe that the Roman road, which is faid 

 to have croHed the river at the Horfe-ferry, is ima- 

 ginar)' ; the works, which are adduced to fupport 

 the confufed account of Higden, being not Ro- 

 man, nor even aiitient, but raifed by the parliament 

 in the year 1643. And it is as probable that 

 Stane ftreet (or Stone ftreet) in Southwark it the 

 road conntftcd with th.e Roman fmy. [See 

 Maitliini's Hij'hr^ of London, pp. 10, I l.j-^-z) It 

 muft be remembered, that, when the country was 

 in a ftat* of nature, the low grounds on the banki 

 of the Thames were overflowed every tide to a 

 great extent ; and indeed it is doubtful, if there 

 was any part of its banks oppofite to the modern 

 ^- ■'"'■■ Londoa 



