FOUND IN BRITAIN. 221 



smallness of the altar, not more than ** 10 inches high, and 6 inches 

 square." The only point, which remains to be noticed, is DE in 

 the first line. It may be the preposition, i.e. de militibus legionis 

 sextce victricis, used purposely to avoid calling him a miles ; or it 

 may stand for delicium, delicia, or delicice, "the pet," MIL*, of 

 course, if this be adopted, standing for militum. 



61. In Dr. Bruce's Roman Wall, p, 209, 2nd Ed., a stone, bearing 

 the following fragment of an inscription, is figured : — 



ESTRAIA 

 RIANO 

 EGir 

 Dr. B. remarks : — 



" The Milking Gap slab, to which it has a very close resemblance, enables «18 

 to supply the parts that are wanting. The only difference seems to be, that the 

 emperor's name is in the dative case instead of the genitive as in the other 

 example. 



[IMP CA]ES TRATA[N03 



[HAD]RIANO^[AVG PP] 



[L]EG II [AVG] 



[A PLATO RIO NEPOTE LEG PR PR]." 



This restoration is justified by " the Milking Gab " slab, except m 

 one point, and that an important one, viz., the addition of the letters 

 PP, which do not appear on that slab. This title. Pater Patriae 

 cannot be introduced ad libitum ; its presence or absence as a designa- 

 tion of Hadrian may make a difference of eleven years in the date, 

 for it was not assumed by that emperor until 128 A.D. The two* 

 slabs, given by Dr. Bruce, in pp. 202*, 203, indicate a period between 

 117 and 128 A.D., about 124, in which year, as we know from the 

 diploma found at Stannington, Aulus Platorius Nepos was Legate in 

 Britain. The inscriptions, found at Great Chesters, ^sica, and 

 Moresby, Morbium?, which have the addition of P*P' give a date 

 between 128 and 138 A.D. 



The Leicester mile-stone marks the year between August 11, 120, 

 and August 1 1, 121, within which time Hadrian was probably in the 

 island. The altar already noticed in 59, mentioning L. JEliua 

 Ccesar, gives either 136 or 137 A.D. ; and Horsley's, n. Ixi. Cumber- 



• 1 suspect that some pairs of slabs, bearins tlie same inscription, were set up to mark the 

 beginning and the end of work done on the Southern barrier as there were on the Northern > 

 See Brit. Rom. Jnscrip. p. 235. 



