i9i4- I 9 I 5-] Hadrian's Wall. 139 



unfortunately none bears an inscription to throw any light 

 upon the date of construction or alteration. The Romans of 

 course left us no picture of the bridge, but on Trajan's Column 

 we get a representation of Trajan's bridge over the Danube, 

 which shows how the wooden platform of the bridge would 

 probably be constructed. 



The Roman station of Cilurnum lies immediately over the 

 river from this point. We must go round by the modern 

 bridge which carries the road over rather a different structure 

 from the Roman one and past Chollerford Inn, held in 

 pleasant memory by many a pilgrim to the wall for the 

 excellence of its entertainment, and where all the talk is of 

 the wall. We are on General Wade's road again, and about 

 200 yards along it we turn in at a pretty lodge gate and 

 enter the grounds of the Chesters. The late proprietor, 

 Mr J. G-. Clayton, who owned most of the land through 

 which the wall runs in this vicinity, was a zealous antiquary, 

 and, in addition to excavating most of the stations, had 

 erected at his lodge gate a museum wherein is housed a 

 rich collection of valuable ' finds.' Free access is given to 

 the museum and the station twice weekly. 



In a corner of the museum is one of the most perfect 

 statues found on the line of the wall. It represents the 

 goddess Cybele, mother of the gods, standing upon a bull, 

 and it is in a wonderful state of preservation, considering that 

 after excavation it was used as part of a fence. Around her 

 are disposed numerous altars. These are the most numerous 

 and characteristic finds, and all our museums are stocked 

 with them. Many of them — most of them, in fact — are quite 

 evidently the works of the soldiers themselves. The Roman 

 soldier, whether legionary or auxiliary, was a most religious 

 man, and had the Apostle Paul passed along the line of the 

 Roman Wall he might well have repeated the compliment he 

 paid to the ancient Athenians — " I perceive that in all 

 things you are exceedingly religious." Altars are every- 

 where — dedicated to all sorts of gods and goddesses — from 

 some simple and rude block of stone hewed into the con- 

 ventional shape in fulfilment of a common soldier's vow, to 

 the elaborately ornamented and designed offering of the 

 military tribune or prefect. 



