THE 



ANTIQUITIES OF SELBORNE. 



LETTER I. 



IT is reasonable to suppose that in remote ages this woody and 

 mountainous district was inhabited only by bears and wolves. 

 Whether the Britons ever thought it worthy their attention is 

 not in our power to determine ; but we may safely conclude, 

 from circumstances, that it was not unknown to the Eomans. 

 Old people remember to have heard their fathers and grand- 

 fathers say that, in dry summers and in windy weather, pieces 

 of money were sometimes found round the verge of Wolmer 

 Pond; and tradition had inspired the foresters with a notion 

 that the bottom of that lake contained great stores of treasure. 

 During the spring and summer of 1740 there was little rain ; 

 and the following summer also, 1741, was so uncommonly dry, 

 that many springs and ponds failed, and this lake in particular, 

 whose bed became as dusty as the surrounding heaths and 

 wastes. This favourable juncture induced some of the forest 

 cottagers to begin a search, which waa attended with such suc- 

 cess that all the labourers in the neighbourhood flocked to the 

 spot, and with spades and hoes turned up great part of that 

 large area. Instead of pots of coins, as they expected, they 

 found great heaps, the one lying on the other, as if shot out of 

 a bag ; many of which were in good preservation. Silver and 

 gold these inquirers expected to find ; but their discoveries con- 

 sisted solely of many hundreds of Roman copper coins and some 

 VOL. II. x 



