MISCELLANEA. ARCEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN THE PUNJAUB.—A rich mine of sculptures was discovered last Christmas in the ruins of Takht-i-Bahi (near Hoti-Murdan), on the Punjaub frontier, by Dr. Leitner. We are glad to learn that Government have since dispatched a party of sappers, who are exploring the locality. It is said that there are many other places in the Yusufzai district equally rich in these remains. The statues appeared to Dr. Leitner to be "Græco-Indian and Buddhistic." A PATRIARCH of the Press.-John Saxon, the venerable editor of the Repository, Canton, Stark county, Ohio, expired on Saturday, April 22, at the advanced age of eighty-one. Deceased was supposed to be the oldest editor connected with the Press in the United States, he having commenced the publication of the Repository in the year 1814, and continued its publication successfully for fiftyseven years. Mr. Saxon was born in Huntingdon, Pa., where he learned the printing business, but subsequently removed to Ohio, and established himself in business there. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. His funeral was largely attended by all classes of people, as he was respected by stranger and friend alike.-Newspaper Press. curious document respecting Sir William de Walworth, the celebrated Mayor of London. He died in 1385, and it there were no bankers, was accustomed to advance money appears he, like other opulent citizens of those days when mitre from Alexander Neville, Archbishop of York, who on the security of property. He had received in pledge a Sir William, his widow Margaret was sued for its restitution. was forfeited and banished, and shortly after the death of The case was argued before the Treasurer and Barons of Exchequer. The mitre was pledged for 1637. 65. 8d., but it was allowed to be worth much more, and the condition was, that if the Archbishop should not repay that sum on the feast of the Purification next following the date of its pledg ment, it should become the property of the said Sir William. The crown of course claimed it as forfeited property, and the claim was settled by allowing Margaret to retain the mitre on payment of the sum advanced upon it and 10 marks more which was considered that at "least the mitre was worth more than it was pledged for." THE ORIGIN Of Liveries.—During the rule of the Merovingian dynasty there arose a practice of delivering splendid habits to the members of their households on the occasion of great festivals; from which originated the usages of feudal retainers wearing a dress of particular colours, and A SINGULAR custom was a few years ago observed by the with distinctive badges pertaining to their superiors. From inhabitants of Ripon, in Yorkshire. On Midsummer Eve the circumstances that these dresses and badges were originevery housekeeper, who during the preceding twelve months ally given, in French livre, comes the English word livery, had changed his residence into a new neighbourhood (there a phrase of honourable distinction in the middle ages, perbeing certain limited districts called neighbourhoods), petuated in the official garb of civic guilds (whence the spreads a table before his door in the street with bread," liverymen" of London), and in the attire of public and cheese, and ale, as refreshments for all who chose to accept private servants. The wearing of livery is thus traceable to it. If the master of the house was in tolerable circum-a Frankish custom in the sixth century.-France: Its Hisstances, the party after regaling themselves for a short time, tory and Revolutions. were invited to supper, and the evening concluded in mirth and good-humour. This custom is said to have been instituted for the purpose of introducing strangers to an early and friendly acquaintance with the neighbours. AN ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY.-A discovery, which has promise of being of importance, has just been made by a labourer named Fox, upon the farm occupied by Mr. John Clark, of Acklam. The place is an outlier of chalk, about ENLARGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY.-The half-way on the slope of the Yorkshire Wolds, upon the buildings behind the National Gallery are about to be pulled property of Lady Vyner. Here a pit was being dug, in down and cleared away, to make room for the proposed which to burn lime, and at a very small depth Fox found extension of the National Gallery. They include Archbishop the skeletons of five persons laid at full length. Such fragTenison's Grammar School, for which an appropriate build-ments of the skulls as have been recovered are intended for ing is being erected in Leicester Square, the old St. Martin's Workhouse, and several other offices and houses extending northward to Hemming's Row. AN APPEAL TO ARCHAEOLOGISTS.-"Civis " complains in the Times that the crypt of the Priory of St. Bartholomew-the-Great, Smithfield, situated in Bartholomew Close, is about to be demolished, and he recommends those who, if unable to avert its destruction, would like to inspect it, to visit it before it is destroyed. MR. MILLAIS sold his "Chill October," in the Royal Academy, to Mr. Agnew, dealer, for 1500/., and the latter immediately afterwards to Mr. Mendel, of Manchester, for 25001. Dr. Rolleston, at Oxford Museum. There were personal ornaments with the burials of much interest. One had a necklace of beads of glass and pottery, but only four have been preserved. There were two buckles and a clasp in bronze, and a grand gilt circular fibula set with stones, found, but unfortunately the men did not know their value, and parted with the relics for 4s. The Rev. Canon Green. well has arranged to make a thorough examination of the cemetery after harvest. A PATRIARCHAL TREE.-The Vancouver Island Standard states that the largest Douglas pine known to exist on that island is one near Mr. Richardson's house, Chemainis prairie, on the edge of the trail, and not far from Chemainis river. It is 51 feet in circumference, or about 16 feet in diameter, and about 150 feet high. Originally it was about 50 feet higher, but the top has been broken off either by lightning or storm. It is a monster, and need not be ashamed of its proportions were it among the gigantic trees in the famous Calaveras grove. Two gentlemen who recently visited it christened it" The Old Guardsman:" it must have been standing guard centuries before any of the trees ORIGIN OF THE LIFE GUARDS. At the close of the civil war in England many of the followers of Charles I., unwilling to submit to the authority of Oliver Cromwell, removed to the Continent and shared the fortunes of his son and successor. In the year 1660, Charles II. found himself surrounded by a small army of 3000 men who had flocked to his standard at the Hague; they were the wreck of the Royalist party-noblemen, gentlemen, and their servants-around it. who had staked all for his father, played, and lost. The origin of the Life Guards is to be found among these devoted adherents of Royalty. On the 17th of May, 1660, Charles selected eighty of his followers and organised them into a troop of cavalry, which acted as his body-guard.Gentleman's Magazine. SIR WILLIAM WALWORTH.-In the records of the Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer's Office is preserved a DISCOVERY OF AN ANCIENT ARCH.-At the eastern end of the new railway-station abutting on Garlick Hill, a perfect passage, about 20 feet wide, with a pointed arched roof, built of square chalk, and with roughly-moulded ribs, was discovered. Houses were built over the arch, which is believed to be a work of the fourteenth century, and to be a portion of a passage which run from somewhere north of Cannon Street down to the river side. BAMPFYLDE HOUSE, EXETER. - This interesting old minimum, has long been felt. The mode of working this house, now belonging to Messrs. R. and F. Dymond, was Photo-Camera-Lucida is very simple, and the result is for many centuries in the possession of the family of Bamp- absolutely perfect if the exposure is properly timed. fylde, of Poltimore, and Sir Charles Warwick Bampfylde, Member of Parliament for the city of Exeter in 1780, used it as a town residence. There are some good rooms upstairs, but the principal feature of interest, a curious_antique chimney-piece, placed in the lobby soon after the Restoration by Sir Amias Bampfylde, has been removed to Poltimore House, the residence of Lord Poltimore. NEW CHURCH AT BARTON-LE-STREET, YORKSHIRE.The parish church of Barton-le-Street, near Malton, has just been rebuilt at the cost of the late Mr. Meynell-Ingram, M.P. The old church of St. Michael-a curious old building, full of exquisite Norman architecture, the spoils of an earlier structure, the site of which is unknown-had become so ruinous that its restoration was hopeless, and Mr. Mey- ! nell-Ingram, the owner of the parish, determined to rebuild the church as a memorial to his father. It is difficult to trace the history of the old church, but on razing it numerous specimens of eleventh-century work were found embedded in the walls. The whole of these have been carefully preserved, and have been made use of in the new church. About 300 ancient stones, richly-carved, have been worked into the new structure. The chancel-arch had been destroyed, but a specimen of an elaborately-worked arch was found in the walls, and is now re-erected. The new sculpture requisite to fill up gaps has been adapted, as far as was possible, to the old style. The new church is in the Norman style, from designs by Messrs. Perkin and Sons, of Leeds. A NEW gallery for the reception of folios of prints and drawings has been erected in the Print Room, British Museum. WET PHOTOGRAPHY WITHOUT A TENT OR DARK ROOM.-In our last number we referred to an invention admirably suited to tourists, architects, engineers, manufacturers, amateurs, and others, for the purpose of taking scenery and views of buildings or works during their several stages of construction. The want of a handy and thoroughly practical apparatus for this purpose, and one in which the number of parts and the weight and bulk are reduced to a FIC.2 A glance at the above diagrams will enable any one to understand the process. Fig. 1. A box with its lid open. One of its sides is removed in the drawing, to show the interior. It contains three upright baths filled to one inch of the top with the solutions (S, silver; D, developer; W, water). The baths have water-tight covers (not shown). The box will hold the camera, fig. 2, and everything required for work, excepting the tripod. P P is the plate-protector, shown as it appears immersing a plate. It serves the double purpose of a dipper and a dark slide, and is, in fact, a perfect substitute for either a dark room or a tent, at home or abroad. The invention is for sale, and may be seen at 97, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury, where its practical working will be explained. Approaching Sales. Auctioneers will confer a favour by forwarding to the Editor of the ANTIQUARY Notices of Sales of Articles of Virtu, for insertion in this Table. July Tuesday, Saturday, By Mr. PHILLIPS, 73, New Bond Street. 18-The Seven Churches of Asia, and Views in the Holy Land, by Alexander Svoboda. By Messrs. BENINGFIELD, Ware, Herts. 18-At the Auction Mart.-The Amwell Grotto, and Cottage Residence, Amwell, Herts, the former excavated during the last century under the direction of the poet Scott. By Messrs. PUTTICK & SIMPSON, 47, Leicester Square, W.C. 18-The Library of a gentleman, comprising valuable County Histories. By Messrs. CHRISTIE, MANSON & WOODS, King Street, St. James's. 22-The well-known Collection of Portraits from Evan's Gallery. By Messrs. DEBENHAM, TEWSON & FARMER, 80, Cheapside, E.C. Wednesday, 26-At the King's Head, Horsham.-Freehold Estates (in lots), formerly the property of the late Poet, Shelley. PREPARING FOR SALE. By Messrs. PUTTICK & SIMPSON.-A valuable Collection of Autographs, including a Volume of Autographs and By Messrs. PUTTICK & SIMPSON.-A Collection of scarce Portraits, Water-Colour Drawings and Paintings. £50.000 (not necessarily in one sum) to LEND on Mortgage on good Leasehold and Freehold Property. Advances made on Reversions. Apply to J. M. Robson, 17, Crosby Hall Chambers, Bishopsgate-street Within. Special Advertisements. ANTIQUE CAMEI and INTAGLII, rare Greek, boxes, jewellery, watches, several magnificent necklaces by eminent Roman, and Medieval Rings, Louis XV. and XVI. Gold Snuffartists, fancy colours diamonds, star rubies and sapphires, cat's eyes, coins, and very fine paintings by old masters, for SALE, at Mr. P. Albert's, 504, Oxford-street, Holborn. CHA HARLES II. CROWN PIECE, in good preservation "Carolus II. . Dei. Gratia." King's bust draped, with flowing hair and slight moustache. Reverse, “Mag.. Br.. Fra. et. Hib. Rex, 1673." Four crowned escutcheons of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, arranged cruciformly, with two C's interlinked in the angles. In the centre is a star. On the edge of the coin "Decus. Et. Tutamen Anno Regni. Vicesimo Quinto," with two stars.—Address, M. Martin, “Antiquary" Office, 11, Ave Maria Lane, E.C. PARTNERSHIP.-Wanted an Active and Indus-imitation. trious Young Man to JOIN a respectable Auctioneer and Valuer, of many years' standing. He will be taught the business, and receive half share of the profits.--Letters addressed to C. H. Lind, Esq., 5, Great James Street, Bedford Row. PARTNERSHIP. Wanted a Gentleman with about 1000 to take an active part in a Business established 50 years, to take the place of a retiring partner. Ample security.Apply Messrs. B. W. Woollan & Co., accountants, 117, Cheapside. An Opening occurs for the Investment of £200 to £500 in a well Established Business. Additional Capital required to develope a fresh branch. Good security. For full particulars apply to Messrs. Woollan & Co., accountants, &c., 117, Cheapside, E.C., entrance first door, Milk PARTNERSHIP, or otherwise. street. OLDON, WEDGY Bond-street, has a choice collection of this WEDGWOOD.-GEORGE DONALD. WARE for SALE. ALE of ANTIQUITIES.-At the end of July or OLD PICTURES, Porcelain, Glass Work, &c., belonging to the Freiherr v. Zwierlein schen Stammsitze in Rheingau. Catalogues can be obtained. The collection is mentioned in Bradshaw's, Murray's, and Badeker's Hand-Books. Last year a large offer was CONNOISSEURS of a Really Fine CIGAR. made for the collection and declined. For further information apply TORART DAVIS, Dealer in Old and Modern PAINTINGS, Fancy China WILTSHIRE.-Villa Residence, delightfully situate, commanding magnificent views, large walled-in garden, containing 8 good rooms beside servants' rooms and domestic offices, close to the town, and within five minutes' walk of the railway station.-Address, G. B. Barrey, wine merchant, Northgate-street, Devizes. WI VICTORIA PHAETON. INDOVER'S EXTRAORDINARILY LIGHT and DURABLE HICKORY and STEEL CARRIAGES gained Prize Medal, Paris Exhibition, 1867; Silver Medal, Man copied from that in Holy Trinity Church, at Stratford-uponAvon, 18 inches high, painted in the original colours, with an Eliza. bethan oaken bracket to match, 10 inches long, with his crest emblazoned in gold and proper colours. Price 215. Published by Alfred Mazzoni, 25, High-street, Bloomsbury, London, W.C. R. and Liverpool, 1867: Silver Medal, W GOODWIN, Numismatologist and Southport, 1868; and Silver Medal at the Horse Show, Islington, 1870. A presumptuous advertisement having appeared in The Lancet and other papers, headed "Death-blow to Hickory and Steel Carriages," the best answer I can give to it is to advise the advertiser to learn the difference between CAST and WROUGHT STEEL. The Tyre alluded to in the "Daily News," Dec. 28th, was Cast Steel, a material of impossible use for the Tyres of ordinary Carriage Wheels, a fact well confirmed by every practical coachmaker. C. S. WINDOVER, Hickory and Steel Carriage Builder, 33, Long Acre. Dealer in Antiquities and Works of Art. Old Coins, Paintings, &c., &c., Bought. Postage Stamps of all Nations. Stamps Exchanged.-102, London Wall, City. Ici on vend Timbre Postes de toutes les Nations. Hier verkauft man briefmarken aller Nationen. Printed by HEAD, HOLE & Co., Farringdon Street, and Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, London; and published for the Proprietor, by E. W. ALLEN, II, Ave Maria Lane, E.C.-Saturday, July 15th, 1871. THE WHEN ANTIQUARY. SATURDAY, JULY 29th, 1871. THE ON A CIRCLE OF STONES, CALLED DAWNS MEN, NEAR THE LAND'S END. THEN we contemplate the rude works of our remote ancestors, whether it be a cromlech, or a simple circle of stones, or a mere fragment of a fragile urn, we are forcibly reminded of that time, when the people who inhabited these isles were a savage and unlettered race, subsisting principally on the produce of the chase, and divided into various tribes, all of warlike dispositions, and constantly at strife the one with the other. Considering the length of time that has intervened since this was the state of society in Britain, it is really surprising that so many monuments of that early period are still existing to gratify and encourage the archæologist. But so it is, the rude structures of stone and earth have survived, and will survive far longer than the more delicate architectural fragment; and the custom prevalent in early times of burying the personal ornaments of the deceased in his own grave, has been the means of affording an almost inexhaustible mine of information to the prehistoric inquirer. Some of the most hoary of these early pre-Roman remains are the circles of stones, generally consisting of a group of upright monoliths arranged somewhat on a circular plan. We say "somewhat," because there are really very few so-called circles quite round, although they may appear to be so to the eye, but when carefully measured the length of their transverse diameters will in each case be found to differ a few feet in nine circles out of ten. The idea of thus arranging stones seems to have been common throughout a vast area, for we find similar circles in foreign lands, as well as in almost all parts of our own country; but it must be borne in mind that this similarity in shape does not always | show a similarity in design, and a plan so obvious and convenient was adapted for a variety of purposes. Thus it seems to us unwise of theorists to say that all circles of stone are sepulchral, or that all circles are temples, or places of judicial meetings, or that all circles were covered with earth, or that every circle originally enclosed and formed the base of some barrow or tumulus. Those circles that are found surrounding barrows are of course sepulchral in their purpose, but to claim, without any further proof, a similar use for all other circles, however situated, is in our opinion an untenable and unwarranted conclusion. They were probably erected for various objects, for besides the grouping of stones around barrows in a circular line, enclosures similarly formed are recorded to have been used for purposes of song or bardic celebrations, and we learn that judicial ceremonies also took place within like circular spaces, bounded by upright stones. Then again, although we cannot believe that the centre of our large sized circles was invariably occupied by a mound of earth, the mere fact of the ground in the interior of any circle being of the same level as that of the exterior, does not entirely prove against the place being used for burial purposes, inasmuch as we have read of urns and other remains being found close beside the stones, showing them to be in such cases, like the simple mênhir, monumental in their character. In the extreme west of Cornwall in a peninsular terminating in the Land's End of our modern maps, and the Bolerium of the ancients, lies the circle of stones usually called the Dawns Men, otherwise The Merry Maidens, or The Dancing Stones. It is distant about 4 miles from Penzance, one of the most thriving towns in the West of England. Lying close to the public road, and one frequently taken by tourists when on their way to the Logan Rock, or rocking-stone, this circle seldom escapes the notice of those who really care for such like objects of antiquity. The land on which it is situate is arable, and a footpath runs right through the circle. From its contiguity to a farm called Bolleit, it is often known as Bolleit circle, although it really stands on the Rosemoddress estate. Hence some have named it Rosemoddress circle. Borlase called it the Rosemodreury circle, he gives a drawing of it, but no description. Near at hand are two granite obelisks, which on coming from Penzance will be seen before arriving at the Dawns Mên. These are the Pipers ultimately connected, as we shall presently see, with the legendary tales connected with the circle. One of these monoliths is upwards of 15 feet high, the other rather more than 13 feet. They stand about 300 yards apart. At present the Dawns Men consists of nineteen upright stones, some of which have been raised within the last few years, for on referring to Edmonds' "Land's End District," P. 15, published separately in 1862, and previously in the Archæologia Cambrensis," three are prostrate. When we visited the spot three years since, we found by measure. ment that the average height of the stones was from 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches. The space between each stone, as arranged around the circular area, roughly about 70 feet in diameter, varies from 20 feet in some places to 12 feet in others. The account of the Dawns Men given by Hals, the Cornish historian, having been written between the years 1685 and 1736, is interesting, particularly as he mentions the existence at that time of a central stone now no longer to be seen. It is as follows "Upon Boscawen Downs, some of which was lately the lands of Mr. Christopher Davis, stands a monument called nineteen pyramidal stones about six feet high above Dance Meyns, that is to say the dance stones, which are ground, set in a round circle, distant from each other about 12 feet, having in the centre one pitched far bigger than the rest; a little to the north of those are two admirable great stones in perpendicular manner, much bigger than the rest, those are vulgarly called the Pipers. But since it is not probable that those stones were either dancers or pipers, I take the common appellation, dance meyns, only by the dialect to be a corruption of dans meyns, i.e. men's stones, that is to say, stones set up in memory of once so many famous men that lived in those parts, or lie interred formed me, that contiguous with those dans meynes, he there, before the sixth century. Mr. Davis aforesaid incaused not long since divers barrows of earth to be carried abroad in order to manure his lands, in several of which barrows he found two or three urns or earthen pots, sound and firm, having in them pieces of bones or ashes." It should be noted that these central pillars are often found within stone circles of this kind. At Boscawen-ún, side of the road, stands one of those curious remnants of not far distant, and in the same parish of St. Buryan, is a antiquity-a holed-stone. The country people call them central monolith, now in an oblique position, but probably crick stones, from the belief that the passing of the body originally upright in the circle.* through the hole will cure rheumatism and pains in the back. It would, however, be rather difficult to pass through this one near the Dawns Mèn, as the hole is only 5 in. in diameter, but some of the orifices are much larger than this; a holed-stone, called the Mên-an-tol, a few miles to the north, is 1 ft. 7 in. in diameter. The Dawns Men holedstone is 6 ft. high; it is laminar in shape and tapers towards the top. Of course this stone, like others of the same class, has been associated with sacrificial rites, supposed by some to have been carried on at the adjacent circle, but like all other of the startling Druidical observances advocated by theorists, there is not the smallest atom of proof in justification thereof. When Maton made his tour through the western counties, towards the close of the last century, he seems to have been disappointed in the appearance of the Dawns Mên, due perhaps to the common classification of these remains with the great Wiltshire monument, Stonehenge, to which none of these smaller circles can bear any just comparison. He observes-"We had the mortification to find the circle of stones to which our guide conducted us very inferior in extent and grandeur to what we had been taught to expect. The appellation given these stones by the vulgar, is The Merry Maidens, on account of a whimsical tradition that they were no other than a circle of young women transferred into stone for dancing on a Sabbath day. There are two stones in a field on the opposite side of the road; they seem to appertain to the circle, the proper name of which I guess, from Borlase's account, to be Bolleit.”—(Vol. I., p. 211.) The tradition alluded to by Maton is still current, and the circle at the present time frequently goes by the name of The Merry Maidens. In Mr. Robert Hunt's "Popular Romances of the West of England," the legend is thus briefly, yet graphically, narrated-"One Sabbath evening, some of the thoughtless maidens of the neighbouring village, instead of attending vespers, strayed into the fields, and two evil spirits, assuming the guise of pipers, began to play some dance tunes. The young people yielded to the temptation; and, forgetting the holy day, commenced dancing. The excitement increased with the exercise, and soon the music and the dance became extremely wild; when, lo, a flash of lightning from the clear sky transfixed them all, the tempters and the tempted, and there in stone they stand.”—(1st Series, p. 193.) Similar tales to this are told of the Hurlers, three circles in the eastern part of Cornwall, and also of other upright stones in the same county. The term Dancing Stones may have been given to the Dawns Mên from the area enclosed being circular, and so suited for dancing. But it is only reasonable to expect that among a superstitious and ignorant people, as the Cornish a few centuries ago are known to have been, tales of this kind would take root and be engrafted on the minds of the inhabitants. Even elsewhere, the most absurd legends have been handed down to us, ac. counting for the arrangement of some of these circular megalithic structures, from Stonehenge downwards.† A stone's throw from the Dawns Mèn, on the opposite For an account of the Boscawen-un and Bookednan circles, see a paper by the author in The Reliquary, October, 1869. +Speaking of the Callernish circle in the Isle of Lewis, one of the Hebrides, a writer in the "Proceedings of the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland,” remarks—“ On the Ordnance Map, the Gaelic name of Tursachan is attached to cach circle, a word which, if it does not literally mean mourners' is understood to convey that idea when rendered into English. This term is in accordance with that idea that these circles were sepulchral, and is otherwise appropriate as describing the effect produced on the imagination by the appearance on the wild heath of what Sir Walter Scott calls these phantom forms of antediluvian giants.' Litte information, however, can be derived from such local appellations, what are mourners' in Lewis, are Merry Maidens at Penzance, cach locality indulging in its own fancy, but the Gaelic Tursachan seems to be the more natural term to be applied to objects whioh every one must feel are more like petrified spectres, than any happy Lewis or Cornish damsels of the present day at least."-(Vol. II. p. 381.) We refrain from expressing any opinion respecting the probable use of this circle of stones, merely stating, however, that there is not the slightest evidence, in proof of the too oft repeated assertion, that the central area was once occu pied by a huge mound of earth and stones. Its present appearance certainly does not warrant any such conclusion, and there is no early record, we are sure, in confirmation of that idea. As an example of a pure monolithic circle, it has been justly called "a little gem," and of all the other circular arrangements of stones in the adjoining district, in which there are several, none can compete with it, either in size or preservation. Time out of mind the Dawns Mén has been a puzzle to the learned who have passed by Bolleit; and that it may be preserved in its present perfect state for many centuries yet to come, must be the ardent wish of every true archeologist. the Being elevated above the surface of the ground a road of this sort had the appearance of a bank, and the name "agger" may be found applied to it in Roman writings, while in our own day roads of the kind traversing unfrequented localities go by the name of the " "dyke,' "Devil's dyke," or with some other prefix, their original use having been entirely forgotten. Such is still the appearance of the Watling Street near Weedon, of the ancient Roman road from Marlborough, a few miles to the east of Bath of Ermine Street, south of Lincoln, and perhaps of many others; in fact, a first-class Roman road was just a wall broad in proportion to its height, extending across the country; its top paved and gravelled for traffic; and therefore to it the modern Americanism of " building a road" would have been most strictly applicable. The same idea would appear to have been present to the minds of the ancients, "Inde ad rusem muniendam per quam unam via esse poterat," says Livy in Hannibal's passage of the Alps, and Horace, I believe, uses the expression "viam munire per undas." All Roman roads were not made with this care; some of the layers were occasionally wanting, and those were besides |