146 THE ANTON, OR TEST. 



the sprightly Test arising up in Chute, 

 To Itchin, her ally, great weakness should impute. 



For, from that wondrous pond, whence she derives her head, 



And places by the way by which she's honoured, 



(Old Winchester, that stands near in her middle way, 



And Hampton, at her fall into the Solent sea) 



She (Itchin) thinks in all the Isle not any such as she, 



And for a demigod she would related be. 



DRATTON'S POLY-OLBION. 



I FEEL so much interest in the Test, of which the 

 more classic appellation is the Anton, that I hope 

 my readers will excuse me if I endeavour to trace 

 the account which antient writers have given of it ; 

 and which formed the subject of our evening's con- 

 versation on our return to our village inn. 



It is well known that more than one of our British 

 rivers were called by the Romans, Antona. Although 

 the word Hampton is so common in British topo- 

 graphy, and its Saxon etymology so clear, it has 

 been doubted that the names of Northampton and 

 Southampton are derived from that stock ; for the 

 Romans long anterior to what we call Saxon times, 

 mention two British rivers of the name of Anton; 

 the one, the North Anton, is supposed to be the 

 Nen, on which Northampton is situated : the other 

 is surely the South Anton or Test, the chief tribu- 

 tary of the Southampton Water. 



It was, however, so much the habit of the Ro- 



