b6 philosophical transactions. [anno 1734. 



application of proper topics, the eyelid recovered strength daily ; and he judged, 

 by the continuance of the' same method, it would soon be well, 



Cff'a Roman Inscription found on a Stone at Silchester in Hampshire. By John 



Ward, F.R.S. N°474, p. 200. 



The draught, which accompanies this paper, contains an exact copy of a Roman 

 inscription. The account of it is this : the original stone, in which it is cut, was 

 found at Silchester, within the ancient market-place, about 4 feet under ground. 



From the usual form of such votive inscriptions, and the manner of expressing 

 them, he apprehends there are not many letters lost at the end of the lines, and 

 but one line wanting at the bottom ; so that if all the words were written at 

 length, and the line which is wanting supplied, the whole would run in the fol- 

 lowing manner : 



Deo Herculi Segontiacorum Titus Tammonius, Saenius Tammonius Vitalis, 

 cornicularius, honoris causa dedicarunt vel fieri curarunt. 



We find no less than 6 altars dedicated to Hercules in Mr. Horsley's Britannia 

 Romana, two of which have the title deo prefixed to the name hekcvli, as in 

 this inscription. But as the thinness of the stone shows that it could not be part 

 of an altar, it might probably belong to some public building erected to his ho- 

 nour at this place. 



The word segon. in the second line, must probably be read segontiacorum 

 as referring to the name of the people Segontiaci. Thus we have in Mr. Horsley 

 deae nymphae brigantvm, and mogvnti cadenorvm ; and in Mr. Camden 

 DEO MOVNO CADENORVM ; denoting the topical deities of those people. For as 

 to the town Segontium, notwithstanding the affinity of its name with the Segon- 

 tiaci, it was at a great distance from them, as appears by Antonine's Itinerary, 

 being situated on the western coast over against the isle of Anglesea, where 

 Caernarvon now stands ; and therefore it could have no relation to this in- 

 scription. 



- The following lines contain the names of the two persons, who caused this, 

 dedication to be made in honour of Hercules, that is titus and saenivs tam- 

 MONivs, that of vitalis in the first line being a cognomen of the latter, which 

 often occurs as such in Gruter. 



Had this inscription been sooner discovered, it would have saved our antiquaries 

 much trouble in fixing the situation and limits of the Segontiaci ; about which 

 they have been greatly at a loss, and led into different opinions. Those people 

 are first mentioned by Caesar , who in the account of his second expedition into 

 Britain says, that the Trinobantes having submitted to him, the Cenimagni, Se- 

 gontiaci, Ancalites, Bibroci, and Cassi, followed their example. The Trino 



