ROT 



ROT 



unite near Hilpoldein, on the borders of Franconia ; and 

 after this union, it falls into the Rednitz, near the town of 

 Roth. — Alfo, a river of Bavaria, which rifes about 10 miles 

 S. of Landefhut, and runs into the Inn, oppofite to Scher- 

 ding. — Alfo, a town of Germany, in the lordfhip of 

 Limberg ; 4 miles W.N.W. of Gaildorf. — Alfo, a river 

 of Germany, which runs into the Danube, S.W. of Leip- 

 heim. 



Roth, A'jejl, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Pracha- 

 titz ; 4 miles N.E. of pifek. 



Roth, Haus, a town of Silefia, in the principality of 

 Neiffe ; 7 miles E.N.E of Neiffe. 



ROTHA, a town of Saxony, in 'the circle of Leipfic ; 

 6 miles S. of Leipfic. N. lat. 51 12'. E. long. 12° 21'. 



ROTHALS, in Ornithology, a name given by Gefner, 

 and fome others, to the pochard, or red-headed wigeon, 

 the anas fenna ; a bird ditlinguidied from all others of the 

 duck-kind, by having no variegation in its wings. See 

 Duck (Fbrina). 



ROTHARIS, in Biography, king awd legiflator of the 

 Lombards, was duke of Brefcia, at the time of the death of 

 king Ariovald, in the year 638, who left a widow, named 

 Gundeberg, but no male idue. The Lombards gave this 

 lady the privilege of railing to the throne the perfon whom 

 fhe Ihould fix on for her hufband, and her choice fell upon 

 Rotharis, the fubject of this article. For the fake of uniting 

 himfelf with the queen, he repudiated his own wife, whom, 

 however, he promifed to maintain in the dignity of a queen. 

 This engagement he did not long regard, but (hut her up 

 in an apartment of the palace of Pavia, where (lie remained 

 five years ; when, through the mediation of Clovis II., fhe 

 was reltored to her rank in fociety. Rotharis had fcarcely 

 afcended the throne, when he had to contend with all the 

 power of certain nobles dilafleclcd to his government, 

 which, however, he quelled, and afterwards reigned with 

 equal glory and profperity at home and abroad. His pre- 

 deceilor had bound himfelf by a treaty with the exarch of 

 the empire, to reltrain himfelf within certain boundaries ; 

 but Rotharis did not conceive himfelf under any obligation 

 to obferve this treaty, and fuddenly burl! into the province 

 of the Cottian Alps, which lie reduced, and then made him- 

 felf matter of all the towns in the Venetian territories. The 

 exarch, at the fame time, made an incurfion into the Lom- 

 bard territory, which called away Rotharis from his con- 

 quells : an engagement enfued, in which the exarch was 

 totally defeated, and oUiged to fave the relics of his army 

 by fueedy flight. Rotharis Iikewife penetrated into Li- 

 guria, and took Genoa, Albcnga, and other maritime 

 towns, which lie pillaged and difmantled, carrying away the 

 inhabitants as prifoners. Rotharis has the high merit of 

 having firfl given to his nation a code of written laws. 1 11 the 

 fifth year of his reign he fummoncda general diet of his nobles 

 at Pavia, where, with their confent, he enafted a number 

 of laws, which were made public in an edift illued in 643, 

 confiding of 386 articles. Thcfe, though they bear the 

 damp of a rude age and people, are accounted more judi- 

 cious than the laws of fome other barbaric people. It has 

 been obferved, that Rotharis was fufliciently enlightened 

 not only to deride the fuperflition of witchcraft, but to 

 protect the victims of that reputed crime from popular rage. 

 He alfo praitifed religious toleration, and provided in all 

 the cities of his kingdom a bidiop for each of the two pre- 

 vailing perfuafions, the Arian and the Catholic. He died 

 in 653, at the age of 47 years, having reigned more than 

 15 years. Univer. Hid. 



ROTHBEIN, iii Ornithology. See Scoloi-ax Cali- 



dris. 



ROTHBURY, in Geography, a market-town and parifh 

 in Coquetdale ward, in the county of Northumberland, 

 England, is fituated 29^ miles N. by W. from Newcaflle, 

 and 3065 miles N.N.W. from London. In the oldeft re- 

 cords, this place is called Robirie, Rathbury, and Routh- 

 birv ; and its name has by fome been derived from the Britifh 

 word Rhath, fignifying a cleared /pot, or the Gaelic Rath, 

 denoting a furety ox place of fafety ; but it is more pro- 

 bable, on account of its Saxon termination, that it was fo 

 called from roth, red, from the ferruginous appearances 

 around it, where iron mines and ochre abound. Soon after 

 the Conqued, Rothbury, though itfelf only a member of 

 the barony of Warkworth, appears to have been a large 

 manor, including alfo thofe of Thropton and Snitter. 

 King John enfeoffed the barons of Whalton, in this manor, 

 for the payment of one knight's fee. It reverted to the 

 crown, together with Warkworth, by fcttlement ; and 

 was, in 1330, granted to the Percies, and entailed upon 

 their male pofterity. The duke of Northumberland is now 

 lord of the manor, but pofledes very little freehold pro- 

 perty in the town. No remarkable hidorical event l>as fig- 

 nalized this place. Previous to the union of England with 

 Scotland, the inhabitants of Rothbury and its vicinity ap- 

 pear to have retained longer than molt others the ferocity 

 and lawlefsnefs of the ancient race of borderers. The re- 

 formation was late in finding its way hither ; and there are 

 yet fome traits remaining of the ruder ages, but which are 

 gradually wearing away. A foot-ball play on Shrove-Tuef- 

 day, at which all the males above eight years old are re- 

 quired to attend, is one ; and the continuance of the cuftom 

 of bondage- fervice, in the foreft of Rothbury, is another. 

 But this iaft injurious ufage having been abandoned upon 

 the property of the duke of Northumberland, by his grace, 

 it will foon, it is to be hoped, be only remembered by tra- 

 dition. 



According to the parliamentary returns in 181 1, the 

 town contains 133 houfes, and 750 inhabitants: the parifh, 

 however, includes 27 other townfhips, which compriie 712 

 houfes, and 3732 inhabitants. 



Rothbury ltauds in a lequcftered and romantic glen, on 

 the north fide of the river Coqurt. The town is wide, airy, 

 and tolerably well built, and is much frequented, during the 

 fummer feafon, by valetudinarians, to drink goats' whey; 

 thefe animals abounding very much amongft the adjacent 

 cliffs and rocks. There is a weekly market, but very in- 

 diderently iupplied, and it has four fairs in the year. The 

 church is a very ancient ltructure, dedicated to All-Saints, in 

 the form of a crofs, and contains a font of very curious work- 

 manfhip, and feveral refpeftible monuments. Witton or 

 Whitton tower, one of a line of towns, winch, in the bor- 

 der-wars, extended from Hepple to Warkworth, a itrong 

 ancient building, with the arms of Unfranville on its weft 

 fide, is now the rector's manfion. The living is worth 

 about 1200/. per annum. Here is a bridge of three arches 

 over the Coquet. 



On the top of a hill, between this town and Thropton, 

 is a circular intrenchment, with a double ditch and vallum, 



called Old Rothbury ; and not far from it, in a iaml-done 

 rock, is a large cave. 



Rothbury-foreft is about feven miles from eafl t>> well, 



and four miles from fouth to north. There is now \< r\ 



little wood upon it, and the who] land is nearly inclofed. 



It contains mines of lime-dew. coal, 1101. and ochre; 

 though, l'me<- the wood has dilappi arid, nothing but coal 

 is dug, and that only to a very limited extent. In that part 

 of the foreft, north of the Coquet, and ealt of Rothbury, 

 near the road leading fr^m Ah. wick, are Dildcn-wrlls, the 



v. ..U 1 % 



