21 
COMMUNICATIONS 
TO THE 
MONTHLY MEETINGS, 
1855. 
April.—The Hev. John Kenrick read the first part of a paper 
on Roman Sepulchral Inscriptions. Those which are found in Britain 
are usually brief and chiefly military, and devoid of any beauty of 
sentiment, though the Society’s Museum contains one of touching 
simplicity, that on Simplicia Florentina, by her father. The number 
and length of such records is usually an indication of the extent of the 
prevalence of the Latin language in any country, and the wealth of its 
population. Hence, after Rome itself, the North of Italy, the South of 
Gaul, and the Spanish Peninsula have furnished the largest number of 
inscriptions. Britain was poor, and the Latin language not widely 
diffused nor deeply rooted. The Latin sepulchral inscriptions were 
designed not only to commemorate the age and station of the deceased, 
but to secure the ground from being claimed by the heirs, to warn 
passers by against violation, to perpetuate the performance of funereal 
rites and honours. Besides the light which they throw on manners 
and sentiments, they illustrate the orthography and etymology of the 
language, preserving ancient forms, which have been obliterated in 
MSS., from the tendency of transcribers to accommodate these things 
to the usage of their own times. Examples were given of the senti¬ 
ments expressed on Roman tombs, by parents towards children, 
children towards parents (which are comparatively rare), husbands 
and wives towards each other; the latter class indicating, that what¬ 
ever might be the laxity of morals among the higher orders, or the 
abuse of divorce, mutual affection and happiness were the general 
characteristics of the conjugal relation among the Romans. 
May.—The Rev. John Kenrick concluded his observations on 
Roman Sepulchral Inscriptions, treating particularly of the indications 
