Camden's Britannia newly translated into English, with large additions and improvements ; publish'd by Edmund Gibson ...

Continuation of the EARLS.

Francis, the last Earl mention'd by our Author, dying in the year of our Lord 1641. was succeeded by his only son Francis, who dy'd at York, 1643. leaving issue one only daughter; so that the male line

of that most ancient and noble family is now extinct. At present his Royal Highness Prince George of Den∣mark honours this County by having the title of Duke of Cumberland, which was enjoy'd before him by Prince Rupert, Prince Palatine of the Rhine, a person of admirable courage and bravery.

[aa] If our Author means by the Praetentura of Agricola, any thing of Walls or Rampires, we may justly question the truth of it, since the learned* 1.1 Arch∣bishop Usher has prov'd out of Tacitus, that Agricola only garison'd the Frontiers at this place, without contriving any other sence. 'Tis likely, that accor∣ding to the Roman custom, he plac'd some of his troops within the limits of the Barbarians Country, intra fines Horestorum: for these Horesti were not the inhabitants on the river Esk, near the borders of England (as our Author afterwards in his descripti∣on of Scotland asserts) but those of Angus and Mernes, as the Scotch Historians sufficiently evidence, parti∣cularly the learned Sir George Mackenzie, Defence of the Royal Line, p. 79.* 1.2 Not but Mr. Camden's foun∣dation may for all that stand good, and the Horesti be deriv'd from Ar-Esc; considering there is a South as well as a North Esk.

* 1.3[bb] Not many years ago there was found (on the ruins of the Wall, a little below Carlisle) a small wing'd image of brass, somewhat more than half a foot in length, well agreeing with the description which some of the ancients have given us of the god Terminus. 'Tis now in the possession of the right ho∣nourable Sir John Lowther of Lowther, Baronet.

[cc] Buchanan maintains, that Severus's Rampier was at Grimesdike; but Fordon and Major, as well as Hector Boëtius, are of Camden's opinion. The Con∣troversie will be best determin'd by considering the length, as it is deliver'd by several authors. Eutro∣pius sets it at XXXII; and if some others have XXXV, 'tis easie to imagine, that a little inadvertency in a Transcriber might change II into V. Thus far the account seems to make for Buchanan, that Seve∣rus's fortification was really between the two Friths of Edenburrow and Dumbritton. And Paulus Orosius (who computes its length at CXXXII. miles) goes so far beyond the extent of that which reach'd from Solway to Tinmouth, that thence no true estimate is to be had. But 'tis most likely, that this whole diffe∣rence is to be stated by Spartianus, who (rightly) asserts, that the extent of Hadrian's ditch was LXXX miles. Out of this number (by the heedless change of L into C) the copyers of Orosius made CXXX, and by a careless dropping of the same Letter, the transcribers of Eutropius turn'd it into XXX* 1.4. As to the dispute betwixt the Archbishop and our Au∣thor, Whether Severus's work was a wall of stone or a rampier of earth? we shall only add to the autho∣rities produc'd by Camden, that the Royal Para∣phrast upon† 1.5 Bede says, it was mid dice and mid eoƿþ-ƿealle: and‖ 1.6 afterwards speaking of a later fa∣brick of Stone in the same place, he says, it was built ðær Severus se Casere in het dician & eopð ƿall geƿyr∣can. The Saxon Chronicle also affirms, that it was of turfum. And if that expression [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] of Agathemer (who is suppos'd to have liv'd in Severus's time) have any relation to this work, it very much countenances the opinion of Bede and Mr. Camden. Vide Geogr. Agathem. (edit. à Sam. Tennulio, Amst. 1671.) p. 45, 74, & 86.

[dd] That this last Wall was built betwixt Tin∣mouth and Solway-Frith,* 1.7 Bede seems most perem∣ptorily to assert. And yet Archbishop Usher (Anti∣quitat. Eccl. p. 317.) enclines rather to Buchanan's opinion, that it was at Grimesdike, and thinks this con∣jecture supported by Gildas's saying, that it was built recto tramite; which (says he) that betwixt Bowness and Tinmouth is not. With the Archbishop agrees our very learned Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (then of St. Asaph) in his historical account of Church-government, &c. p. 4. And 'tis certain, that along Grimesdike there are here and there (as the Gordons in Bleau's Atlas have observ'd) several ruins of Stone-buildings: nor can we doubt but there were Forts of stone erected at due distances along that Rampier. But 'tis certain, that in most places there appear no manner of remains of a stone-building; whereas a continu'd stone-wall is easily follow'd from Carlisle to New-castle. As for Nennius's story, (Hist. Brit. cap. 19.) 'tis so full of contradictions, that there's no regarding it: and after all the stress that's laid upon Gildas's expression, a man shall hardly travel the length of The Picts-Wall in any great road in England, that goes more (recto tramite) in a streight line than it does.

[ee] As to the Medicinal Plants, Mr. Nicolson (to whom we owe these observations upon the WALL, as well as several others throughout the Province of York) has made very diligent search, but could never meet with any sort of Plants growing along the Wall, which is not as plentiful in some other part of the Country.

Notes

• * 1.1

  •• E••l. p 3.6.
• * 1.2

  •• in 〈◊〉〈◊〉,
• * 1.3

  ••od 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.4

  V. Usher Antiquitat. p. 316.
• † 1.5

  Eccl. Hist. l. 1. c. 5.
• ‖ 1.6

  Lib. 1. c. 12.
• * 1.7

  Lib. 1. c. 12.