The Simonside Find, by Mr Thomas Arkle. 177 



On Mr Ashton himself going to the place, and removing a 

 portion of the subsoil, he found near the surface two other pieces 

 of bronze, Nos. 3 and 4, perhaps the handle and blade of a 

 knife, three rings, Nos. 5, 6, and 7, and two other circular 

 articles, Nos. 8 and 9, which may have been the bosses belong- 

 ing to the swords found immediately above them. A bone, or 

 piece of bone, No. 10, three and a half inches in length, was also 

 discovered. 



It is right to observe that another and perhaps more reliable 

 account says, that on digging, an oblong stone was found, placed 

 horizontally, with no other one of a similar size or shape near it, 

 and that under this stone the articles, with the exception of the 

 swords, were deposited. 



The most perfect weapon had hilt and rivets complete, only 

 the fitting up and ornaments which had been attached by the 

 rivets being wanting. The length, including the hilt, rather ex- 

 ceeds twenty inches, the greatest width being nearly an inch and 

 a half. The other blade had probably been severed from the 

 hilt before being deposited, as at the place of breakage it is eaten 

 away to nearly the shape of the other extremity, a circumstance 

 which in some minds will raise doubts whether the article may 

 not have been intended for something else than a sword. 



All the articles had suffered much from corrosion, doubtless 

 increased by the circumstance of their having been a good deal 

 exposed to the action of the atmosphere. 



An account of this discovery, and of a visit to the place by a 

 certain personage of rank, appeared in the Newcastle Journal, of 

 the 17th of September following, under the heading of "Find- 

 ing of supposed Eoman swords at Eothbury." The title of this 

 paragraph affords a striking illustration of the tendency to 

 designate everything which appears to be old by the name of 

 Eoman, and of the ignorance which may prevail not only 

 amongst newspaper correspondents, but even (where it is less to 

 be pardoned) amongst editors themselves. Neither of the parties 

 seem to have been aware that whilst only one bronze sword has 

 been met with in Italy, the home of the Imperial Empire, no 

 fewer than three hundred and fifty have been discovered in Den- 

 mark, the surface of which country was never trodden by a 

 Eoman soldier. 



T. AEKLE. 



