RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN CORNWALL. 235 



as are found in many of the great camping places of the 

 Romans in Britain, in which names of officers and men occur 

 with reference to their nationalities and military positions. 



We have a couple of pieces of inscribed stone of doubtful 

 origin and import at Liskeard, as already stated, and there is a 

 stone at Rialton in St. Columb Minor which claims our notice 

 here, as it has been thought to relate to a military tribune. 



The stone is well-known, and has been figured and described 

 with more or less accuracy. Its legend is : — 



[broken here] ^^ffflgfc. 



It has been suggested that this might prove to be a 



military memorial, the words, in barbarous Latin, being 



intended for ( Bonse M emoriee 



( illustris tribuni 



" To the worthy memory of. an illustrious tribune ;" but a 

 close examination of the stone prevents our accepting this 

 reading. 



Each horizontal stroke seems to be a final letter i, (often 

 met with so cut in Romano-British inscriptions), and there are 

 the remains of the letter f at the commencement of the second 

 line. The words are therefore : — 



bonemimori i : — " [The monument] of Bonemimorus 



filli tribvni j SO n of Tribunus.' 



The letter l has been cut twice, by error, in fili (for filii). 

 Hiibner includes this stone amongst the Christian monuments of 

 Cornwall, and though it may not be that of any Roman, or of any 

 military tribune, it is not the less interesting in connection with 

 our subject, since, being of early date (as is evident by its 

 caligraphy),| it then shews how the influence of heathen Romans 

 and also of Christian missionaries spread amongst the Britons ■ 

 for, not only were they soon taught to write Latin in a manner 



" To the gods of the shades. Of Castor, a castrensian (i.e. a camp-rampart 

 guard). He lived [&c.] years." Bristol and Glouc. Archasolog. Soc. Transac. 

 Vol. 9, Weston Birt, &c. Many others with references to Legion, Cohort, &c. 

 occur. See Htibner's Corpus, &c. 



X Letters all good Roman capitals, no minuscules. 



