Book I.] THE ICENI HORSES. 9 



had taken place, these horses, Hke other products of 

 this country, were heavily taxed by the conqueror. 

 Camden tells us that for the tribute payable by the 

 Britons coins were stamped for this purpose. As the 

 coins of the Iceni, above mentioned, bore on the re- 

 verses the figure of a horse, we may safely deduce 

 that, even in those early times, the vicinity of New- 

 market was celebrated for its horses. This inference 

 is apparently confirmed by the presence of the word 

 Tascio, or Tacia, or some abbreviation of it, on these 

 Brito-Romano coins — a word said to be derived from 

 task or tascu, which means, " in the original language 

 of Britain," any load, burthen, or tribute imposed by 

 the Tag, or prince, and that all the money so stamped 

 had been coined for no other purpose than to pay the 

 tribute or taxes imposed by the Romans, and levied 

 upon certain products of the Britons.* 



The following survey of, and remarks upon, the 

 Devil's Ditch at Newmarket, are derived from a 

 paper contributed by A. J. K. to the " Gentleman's 

 Magazine," January, 1845 : — 



In the month of August, 1842, I had the opportunity of 

 making some notes, founded on personal inspection, of the 

 structure of that very remarkable ancient military earthwork 

 on Newmarket Heath, in Cambridgeshire, popularly called 

 the Devil's Dyke. As I am not aware that any particular 

 survey of this strong and very extensive line of defence has 

 been made, the report of my examination of it may not be 

 unacceptable. 



I surveyed it at a spot called The Links, where it remains 



* Henry's " History of Briton," vol. i. 



