NOTES ON LATIN INSCRIPTIONS FOUND IN BRITAIN. 221 



if so, the term Augustse must be taken as an epithet of the Goddess 

 Victory." 



Mr. C. Roach Smith (Collect. Antiq. III. iv., p. 203) :— " sug- 

 gests the following reading, emending that given by Dr. Wilson only 

 as regards the name of the person who erected the altar : Marti et 

 Victorice Augustce O. Raetius militaris in cohorte secunda Tungronmi 

 cut 'prceest Silvius Aiisjjex Prcefectus votum solvit lubens merito" — 

 but this reading of C. RAETI MILIT. seems to be very improbable. 

 AVG — for AVGVSTiE — should unquestionably be joined with 

 VICTORliE, as there are numerous similar examples ; C I regard as 

 standing for GIVES, as it is frequently used in inscriptions ; Prof. 

 Thomson's suggestion, in my judgment, gives the true reading, 

 RAETI, the ethnic adjective of RAETI A : and MILIT is the ordin- 

 ary abbreviation of MILIT ANTES. From this and a preceding 

 insc'ription relative to the Tungrians, we learn that in addition to their 

 own countrymen, Vellavians and citizens of Raetia were serving in their 

 ranks. This is as might be expected, and agrees with the inference, 

 which may be drawn from many sepulchral inscriptions, that the 

 soldiers in the auxiliary wings or cohorts were sometimes of nations 

 different from that which gave name to the wing or cohort. Vide 

 Henzen, Annall. Inst. Arch. 1850, and Orell. Inscrip. n. 6838. 



(5.) The following inscription, mentioning the same Praefect, is on 

 an altar, also found at Birrens : 

 DEAE 



MINERVAE 



COH II TVN 



GRORVM 



MIL EQ CL 



CVI PRAEEST CS L 



AVSPEX PRAEF. 

 Dr. Wilson (Preh. Ann. p. 397) renders it thus: — de^ minerv^, 



COHORTIS SECVND.E TVNGRORVM MILITIA EUVESTRIS CONSTANTINI 

 LEGIONIS, CVI PRIEST CAIVS LVCIVS AVSPEX PR^FECTVS. 



In the " Caledonia Romana," 2nd Ed., by Prof. Thomson, p. 129, 

 we find the following translation of this rendering ; — " ' To the God- 

 dess Minerva, the Cavalry of the Second Cohort of Tungrians of the 

 Constantine legion, commanded by Caius Lucius Auspex Praefect.^ 

 The cohort was the tenth part of a legion, and hence the apparent 

 transposition in this translation." 



There are so many obvious objections to this interpretation, that it is 

 plain that it cannot be received. COH II TVNGRORVM evidently 



