120 NOTES ON LATIN INSCRIPTIONS 



Dr. Bruce expands and translates them thus : 



(1) Junius ? Brutus Decurio Ales Petriance. Junius Brutus, a decurion of the 

 cavah'y of Petriaha. (2) Lucanus Prcefecius PetriaruB Torquatce. Milliarice Civiuni 

 Romanorum. Lucanus, Prtefect of the ala styled Augusta and Petriana, rewarded 

 with the torque, consisting of 1000 men, Eoman citizens, dedicated this." 



In the expansion of (1), I can scarcely be taken as standing for 

 IVNIVS. Was it the second upright of N, i. e., IYN ? . The trans- 

 lation is likely to deceive, for there was a place in Britain called 

 Petriana, \i\io?>Q site still remains unidentified. " A decurion of the 

 Petrian cavalry regiment," or "of the cavalry regiment styled 

 Petriana," seems preferable. In (2) LVCA certainly does not stand 

 for LVCANVS. It is more probably Luca, the birth-place of the 

 Prfefect. The only peculiarity in either inscription is the use of the 

 term torquata in (2). Dr. Bruce remarks that " it does not occur in any 

 other British inscription. Probably the prefect, for some deed of valour, 

 on his part or that of his troops, was allowed, like -Titus Manlius of old, 

 to wear a twisted band of gold around his neck ; or the torque may 

 have been attached to the banner of the ala. The Ala Petriana occurs 

 in the Riveling rescript* of the date of A.D. 121." I am inclined to 

 think that neither of these explanations of the mode of indicating that 

 the regiment had won the distinction of being torquata, is correct. I 

 rather think that every man in it was entitled to wear a torque as a 

 badge of honor, not improbably with some differences as to the metal. 

 See Vegetius, ii, 7, and Pliny, Hist. Nat, sxxiii, 15. 



We have evidence, as Dr. Bruce mentions, that this ala was in Britain 

 in A.D. 124, and a plausible inference from (2) suggests itself, that this 

 corps was in the island at an earlier period, either before or in the time 

 of Trajan, for from Orelli, n. 516, we learn that this ala was styled 

 his torquata, i. e. twice decorated with the torque in his time ; and 

 the absence of his in this inscription may be regarded as proving 

 that it was cut before the regiment won this badge of honor for the 

 second time. I am not disposed, however, to make this deduction, for 

 reasons that will hereafter appear. Another inference, and of some 

 importance, may, I think, be drawn from (2). The regiment is called 



* Dr. Bruce, apparently following Mr. Koach Smith, calls the Tabulce honestoe 

 missionis, that have been'found in Britain, " rescripts." This term should not have 

 been xised, as it is likely to mislead scholars who have not examined the subject. 

 No example of the documents styled Imperatorum Rescripta has been discovered 

 in the island, nor any thing at all resembling them. 



