|
Gentleman's Magazine 1746 p.358
standing monuments to perpetuate their memory, that we are
at a loss which most to admire, the glory of their actions
whilst alive, or their care of transmitting theme to
posterity after their death.
I am none of those speculative visionaries that would call
the wall from its ruins, tho' in imagination only; I am
sensible it would ev'n be in a manner usless in the present
practice of war. But had 6 or 7000 regular forces been
plac'd in the line of the wall, from Hexham to
Brampton these, with the additional garrisons of
Carlisle and Newcastle, and the rivers of
Tyne and Eden, wou'd have effectively
prevented the incursion of the rebels into England.
The cavalry in the extremities, and the foot in the centre,
might have united before the Highlanders cou'd get up, as
the insuperable desarts on the skirts of
Northumberland absolutely determined their march on
leaving Jedburgh. His majesty's forces, though timely
appriz'd of it, never mov'd westward 'till Carlisle
had surrender'd, and ignominious as it was,'twas defended
from Saturday noon 'till Friday morning. On
the day after the king's troops under the marshal
Wade march'd forwards to Hexham, in order to
relieve us, and by that step gave the rebels two days march
of them, in the prosecution of their journey to
London, which had actually been accomplish'd, had not
his royal highness just prevented it.
P. S. In my description of the Roman wall, I have
follow'd the Notitia of Pancirolus, as the
most exact in the rout of the garrisons on the wall, and
carefully compared it with the Itinerary of
Antoninus, tho' it begins where Cambden and
all other antiquaries, except Horsley, end, at the
West sea, calling Tuno celum, Bowness, in place of
Tinmouth, and so on. For Cambden and his
adherents have made scarce a probability ev'n at conjecture
with regard to them; for example Tun-ocelum, or
Itun-ocelum, signifies a promontory at the mouth of
the river Ituna (Eden, by Ptolemy, and
all who mention it,) such as Bowness is, and not
Tinmouth, which has no highland at all beside it, as
Ocelum signifies. Besides, Pancirolus says it
was garrison'd by the AEl. Classica, as stones found
at Bowness import; now there are no stones, nor any
wall carry'd within 4 miles of Tinmouth, and
Cambden has not a single reason to support him, but a
similitude of names, which proves nothing. Again
Amboglana, Cambden translates, because of the
likeness of sound, Ambleside, a place in
Westmorland, above 30 miles from any part of the
wall. Now Pancirolus says Amboglana was upon
the wall, and garrison'd by the AElia Dacica, as
twenty stones dug up there import, and as Pancirolus
affirms also, and therefore must be the great fort of
Burdoswald, which is capable to contain 3000 men,
with very signal ruins; and their altars expressly assent to
Pancirolus, and say the cohors AElia Dacica
garrison'd it; and so 'tis impossible to be Ambleside
any more than London;- but of this more in a proper
time. I beg pardon for dissenting from so great an
antiquary, but my reasons will convince every unprejudic'd
person
... ...
|