96 NOTES ON LATIN INSCRIPTIONS 



ginal meaning. They are also, in my judgment, used in a different 

 sense, viz., for Deahus Mairibus. Of this, there are, I think, two 

 examples in inscriptions found in Britain. The first, to which I shall 

 call attention, is thus given by Horsley, Durham, n. xxxii : — 



D M 



CONDATI 



ATTONIVS 



QVINTIANVS 



MENEXCCIMP 



EXIV.S-SOLLA 



He expands a portion of it thus ; Dis Manibus Condati Attonius 

 Quintianus ****** exjussu suseeptum solvit libenti animo. 



The following are his remarks : — 



" This stone was found near Piercebridge, not far from Watling street. It 

 has been published by Mr. Thoresby, as also in the later editions of Camden, and 

 is inserted by Dr. Gale in his Antonini Itinerarium. It, is a funeral monument 

 erected to one Condatus, in the usual tenour of such inscriptions. I wonder, 

 therefore that not only Mr. TBoresby, but also the learned and judicious Dr. 

 Gale should take it for the name of a place, which does not use to be inserted in 

 this kind of inscriptions ; and that they should suspect it to be the Condate in 

 the Itinerary, which by all circumstances appears to be in Cheshire. As Con- 

 datus is the name of the deceased, so Attonius Quintianus are the two names of 

 the person who erected the altar, and I suppose MEN to be a third name of the 

 same person. The line in the base I have ventured to read Ex jussu suseeptum 

 solvit libenti animo ; because it was common for them to pretend that they took 

 a, TOW upon them by the command or order of some deity. Parallel instances 

 of this kind may be seen in this collection. " Mr. Ward reads the letters EX 

 00 IMP : ex charissimae conjugis impensa ; and so refers ex jussu suseeptum on 

 the base, to the order of the widow, who, not being present, desired this Quin- 

 tianus, a friend or relation of her deceased husband, to erect this monument at 

 her expense . In Manutius CC stand for Charissima conjux ; but if any think 

 them put for contubernalium, here, the sense will not be incongruous." 



It is evident that this is a most unsatisfactory explanation. Ex 

 Jussu certainly refer to * the order ' of the deities, to whom the altar 

 was erected ; and there can be but little doubt that those deities were 

 not the Di Manes, for such an order is unprecedented and improbable. 

 To the expansion — ex charissimce conjugis impensa — the same objec- 

 tions may be made. EXCC evidently stand for* ex ducenario, 



* See Orelli, nn. 3182, 3342, 5064. These dMce?iam are often mentioned in 

 the list of Provincial ofBcials. See the Noiitia, ed. Booking, pp. 54, 56, 58, 60, 

 277, *70, *72, *'75, &c., and compare Facciolati on the word. 



