in some places are so fenced and paved with stone, that they, seem beyond credit. For all the causeways of note at this time throughout the kingdom, were made by the old Romans, as may be seen in Cambden.

"This gives me occasion to observe, that the Romans had large vacant places within this city, where their temples and other public buildings were erected, besides their private dwelling houses, which were all built by their legionary souldiers, who were chiefly mechanics, carpenters, smiths, joiners, &c. and many other of an inferior rank, such as potters, brickmakers, &c. and almost every other trade that is accounted necessary in building, or in cloathing the body, for defence against extremity both of cold and heat.

"We may then conclude, that the Romans having been settled some length of time from their first landing to the reign of Nero, had sufficient leisure to build, as well as to intermarry with the daughters of the Britains, and that they were therefore become, in a manner, one people, and consequently that it was their interest to promote the good and welfare of this city, by magnificent buildings, &c. What form their private houses were built in, I am not able to determine, having not met with any description of them.

"And thus we are come to the times of that illustrious British heroine Boadicia, relict of Prasutagus, king of the Iceni, a great and opulent prince, who at his death had left Nero his heir, hoping thereby to free his family from injustice. But the consequence proved different from what he intended. For she was by this the more exposed to the licentious humour of an all-powerful army. Upon which she confederates with the Trinobantes, and others not inured to servitude, and so they all unanimously agree together to resume their ancient liberty. Whereupon they first set upon the garrisons of the veteran soldiers, defeated the Ninth Legion, and put to the sword many thousand Romans and their associates that inhabited this city; after which they set the city on fire in several places, before Suetonius governor of the province could rally his scattered troops.

“Thus

<< Thus this glorious city was reduced to an heap of rubbish, and continued a great great while in a desolate condition, though many of the buildings were at length repaired, and there is no doubt but if the Romans had continued amongst us, they would have restored it to its former beauty, splendor, and magnificence. But, when they deserted the isle, the Saxons came in, and it is very well known that they were not famous for architecture. Indeed, when the Normans settled amongst us, building with stone began to revive, and the city thereupon was continually adorned by the care not only of our kings and princes, but of other great and illustrious personages; but then what they did for it was sometimes suddenly effaced and destroyed by fire, which hath frequently happened in this great city, partly by accident, and partly by design, especially when a furious enemy hath appeared against it.

"How much this city hath been raised may be supposed from a pavement found fifteen foot deep in Cheapside, above an hundred years since. But how much more hath it been advanced since the year 1666?

"Having thus far endeavoured to give a succinct account of London as it was in the time of the Romans, from my own observation, (although far short of what we may reasonably conclude had been done by Leland,) I shall next take notice of some ancient customs, which had their original from the Romans.

"First then, I have often thought, and am now fully persuaded, that the planting of vines in the adjacent parts about this city, was first of all began by the Romans, an industrious people, and famous for their skill in agriculture and gardening, as may appear from the rei agrariæ scriptores, as well as from Pliny, and other authors. We had a vineyard in East Smithfield, another in Hatton Garden, (which at this time is called Vine Street) and a third in Saint Giles's, in the Fields. Many places in the country bear the name of the Vineyard to this day, especially in the ancient monasteries, as Canterbury, Ely, Abbington, &c. which were left as such by the Romans. And though some may object

that

that several places which bear this name are certainly of a later date than the Roman times, yet I desire them to consider that what I have here advanced, is not to be understood of them either as cities or towns of distinction, but only as they were places where the Romans, during their residence here, exercised themselves in husbandry, and were willing that they should remain to posterity as tokens of their skill and diligence in affairs of this nature.

To this give me leave to add our prize-fighting, which I can ascribe to nothing else but the same sort of exercise practised by the Roman gladiators. Nay, our bull and bearbaiting are the remains of the same people, as are our Maygames, mumming, morrice dancing, &c. which happened much about the same time of the year, as they do now amongst us.

"Master of the ruff-game is an office still in being, and is nothing but the same that was in high esteem amongst the Remans. As to the brothel-houses formerly in Southwark, we find a statute as old as the reign of Edward III. for their toleration, (and I have seen statutes in their behalf amongst collections, transcribed from the very "book formerly made use of by Stow,) and it is probable that. they were first established by the Romans, (for the bull and bear-garden in that place is but of late fettlement,) who had also a playhouse on that side, and had their abode very much in Southwark, which was then a place of fortification, not to insist upon many other ancient ceremonies and customs practised by the old heathens; to recite and reckon up, these would be too tedious, and extend this discourse beyond what I first propofed."

The various remains of Roman grandeur which have at several times been discovered in London, form a necessary appendage to this portion of its ancient history,

An aqueduct, and several vessels for sacred and domestic uses, &c. were found in digging for the foundation of the church of St. Mary Woolnoth, Lombard Street, in 1716; these remains induced Dr. Harwood to imagine that here not only a considerable pottery, but a temple of Concord, must VOL. I. No. 2,

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have

have stood, described by Roman historians in their account of Trinobantum. Such vast quantities of broken pottery abounded here, that many cart loads were carried away with the rubbish to mend the roads about St. George's Fields. An ancient Well which had been choaked up for ages, ages, was also restored to its wonted use, and now supplies the pump under the church.

In 1718, the workmen in pulling down a wall at Bridewell Hospital, discovered a gold enamelled ring, baving the resemblance of the Crucifixion; the inscription in Arabic; this ring was supposed to be one thousand five hundred years old.

London Stone, in Cannon Street, was undoubtedly a Roman milliary of the same kind as that in the Forum at Rome, where all the ways met in a point, and whence they were measured. We will not go so far as some of our antiquaries, who have asserted that this was an altar of worship among the Britons.

In 1777, a silver ingot was discovered, among many gold coins, in digging the old foundations of the Ordnance Office, in the Tower; the ingot was inscribed, "Ex Officio Honorii;" and the coins were of that emperor and Arcadius. This circumstance, more than all others, seems to confirm the notion, that the Tower was not only a Roman fort; but also a mint and treasury.

The Society of Antiquaries published an account of various antiquities discovered in digging a sewer in Lombard Street and Birchin Lane, in 1786.

And in December 1803, a very beautiful Mosaic pavement, was accidentally discovered by some workmen employed to search for the sewer, immediately before the eastern column of the portico of the East India house in Leadenhall Street.

"This beautiful specimen of Roman workmanship, exhibits, the ornamented centre (eleven feet square) of the floor of an

* Milliarium aureum fuit columna in capite fori Romani, sub Saturni ade, prope arcum Septimii, in quæ omnes Italiæ viæ incise finerunt, et a qua ad singulas portas mensuræ regionum currerunt. Plin. lib. iii cap. 5.

apartment

apartment of uncertain dimensions, which lay at a depth of hine feet fix inches from the present level of the carriage-way pavement; the head of the principal figure pointing nearly to the south, and its foot to the north.

"The pavement did not exceed half an inch in thickness, and was bedded in a layer of brick-dust and lime of about an inch; beneath which was a thick stratum of loam, the precise depth whereof could not be ascertained.

"The whole eastern side had been some time before cut away to make room for a sewer; but, little doubt could exist of the two borders having been continued round the square, two-thirds of which remained perfect.

Nothing worth notice occurred in taking up the residue, except the fragment of an urn; which, together with à jaw-bone, and some finger bones, was found under the Western angle.

The surrounding red margin consisted of coarse red tesselle, an inch square, and was traced to the extent of five feet six inches on the north-west side, but could not be followed further, on account of the difficulty and danger of breaking-up the street ; in opening the ground,, however, on the opposite side of the way, foundations of Kentish rag stone and Roman brick appeared at nearly the same depth, which probably were those of the building to which this pavement belonged. The room could not have been less than twenty-two feet square; but, in all probability, was considerably larger.

"In this beautiful specimen of Roman Mosaic, the drawing, colouring, and shadows, are all effected with considerable. skill and ingenuity by the use of about twenty separate tints, composed of tessella of different materials, the major part of which are baked earths; but the more brilliant colours of green and purple, which form the drapery, are glass.

"These tessellæ are of different sizes and figures, adapted to the situations they occupy in the design. They are placed in rows either straight or curved as occasion demanded, each tessella presenting to those around it a flat side; the inter

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stices