button to main menu  Camden's Britannia, edn 1789

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Page 203:-
Pompeianus, and as it was in the 4th year of his reign that he was consul with him, these numerals cannot refer to a 3d consulate which he never took, but must relate to his being the 3d emperor of that name. If it be objected that it was not usual for the Roman emperors to style themselves I. II. III. Mr. Gale answers that there never were three of the same name thus nearly preceding each other as the three Gordians, if at any time: however, the inscription in Gruter, p.MLXXXV. must include a mistake where it represents this Gordianus P.M. TRIB. POT. COS. III. P .P. the III. immediately followed COS, and so cannot be applied to any other word, but is a palpable mistake of the stone-cutter.
In the wood where the fort has been Mr. Appleby found a Roman hypocaust, a regular clay floor with above 100 pillars on it about two feet high, and between every two of them a hollow parallelopipedon of burnt clay, 16 inches long and six wide, with a hole through the opposite side serving as flues. It was five yards by nine within the walls: and on the pillars was another floor of white stone, about an inch thick, curiously cemented for the bath. There was also found the bottom and sides of an iron grate, and some pieces of charcoal were lying scattered up and down on the floor. Adjoining to the south wall where the grate stood were two rooms, supported in the same manner with pillars and flues, and the floors paved as the baths with the addition of a curious cemented composition of lime, brick, dust, and pebbles, at least four inches thick, spread over the stone, of a wonderful hardness. Many other curious floors were found among the ruins and some coal-ashes: but these were supposed of later date, as well as several other articles found here. There was also a cold bath found near the place, and not far from it something like a cistern about five yards by 1½, composed of thick slate stones, very large and set edgewise, well cemented together [q].
The two inscriptions, mentioned by Mr. Camden, as discovered at Castlesteeds and Trederman hard by, Mr. Horsley could no where find. Trederman is much nearer Burdoswald than Cambeck, and there is nothing of Roman antiquity in that castle or about it: nor are they at Naworth, where is half an altar standing in a gate, which Mr. Horsley could not think had any relation to them. There is also a large altar built up in the jamb of a chimney at Whitefield, about a mile west from this fort, which the old people said was brought from hence or a part of the wall very near it. But it is so defaced that not a letter is visible on it [r]. No decisive conjectures can therefore be offered on these two inscriptions.
In Holland's edition is the following inscription given as lately found on a fair votive altar erected to the goddess Nymphe of the Brigantes for the health of the empress Plautilla wife to M. Aurelius Antoninus Severus, and the whole imperial family by Cocceius Nigrinus, a treasurer to the emperor, when Laetus was 2d time consul:

DEAE NYMPHAE BRIG
QVOD VOVERAT PRO
SALVTE PLAVTILLAE CO. INVICTAE
DOM. NOSTRI INVICTI
IMP. M. AVRELII SEVERI
ANTONII PII FEL. CAES.
AVG. TOTIVSQVE DO
MVS DIVINAE EJVS
M. COCCEIVS NIGRINVS
Q. AVG. N. DEVOTVS
LIBENS SVSCEPTVM S
LAETO II ...
which intricate connexion of letters the Doctor read,

Deae Nymphae Brigantum
Quod voverat pro
Salute Plautillae conjugis invictae
Domini nostri invicti
Imperatoris Marci Aurelii Severi
Antonii pii felicis Caesaris
Augusti totiusque do
mus divinae ejus
M. Cocceius Nigrinus
Quaestor Augusti numini devotus
Libens susceptum solvit
Laeto II ...
It is not in the additions to the edition of 1722, nor could Mr. Horsley find it [s], but he was of opinion it should be referred to some part near Cambeck or Brampton.
  Old wall
At Old wall about two miles west from Cambeck fort are two inscriptions of the centurial kind [t]:

LEG. II. AVG.
[V] IVLI. TE
RTVLLIA.
and

[V] COISIL
NCINI.
Mr. Horsley [u] supposed them to belong to the station at Watch cross or somewhere by Scaleby castle. In the field called the House steeds near Watch cross, one of the altars now at Scaleby castle was ploughed up, but had no inscription on it. Another of the altars in the same castle, had been neglected till Mr. Gilpin took it into his garden. This had probably belonged to the same station [x].
  BREMETURACUM. Brampton.
  Bremeturacum
Horsley [y] places BREMETURACUM or BREMETEURACUM at Old Penrith, as we have already seen. Afterwards he changed his opinion for Brampton [z], which is a little market town under lofty hills, having two fairs for cattle and sheep. The moat is a considerable fortification, probably Danish, near 360 feet perpendicular, about 40 feet perpendicular from the crown, a ditch near 20 feet deep and 300 paces in circumference, the top a level plain 40 paces diameter [a].
  Pl.XIV. 1. Geltr.
  Written Rock of Gelt
The Inscription on a rock overhanging the river Gelt about half a mile above Gelt bridge, Gordon or Gale in him, and Horsley Cumb. XLIV. copied differently and more full. Agricola is supposed to have been some optio or deputy to the centurion commanding the party that worked in this quarry, now known by the name of the Old Quarry. The numerals IX. X. added above express the 9th and 10th cohorts of the Legio II. Aug. employed here. The consuls mentioned in one of the five lines left dotted by Mr. Camden held their office A.D. 207, under Severus, who, Cassiodorus says, that year made war
[q] Gent. Mag. 1741, p.30. 76. 135.
[r] Horsl. 263, 264.
[s] P. 269.
[t] Cumb. xxxvi. xxxvii. p.264.
[u] P. 264.
[x] Ib. 265.
[y] P. 111.
[z] P. 481.
[a] Hutchinson, 261.
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