An Account of a Roman Monument Found in the Bisho-Prick of Durham, and of Some Roman Antiquities at York, Sent in a Letter from Martin Lister Esqs

I have with much trouble got into my hands a Piece of Roman Antiquity, which was but a very few years ago discovered upon the South Bank of the River Tyne, near the Shields in Bishoprick. It is a very large and fair Roman Altar of one entire Stone. But after all my cost and pains, I am very sorry to find the Inscription very ill defaced, that much of it is not legible. And I believe it hath been also mis-handled by those who have endeavoured to read it; whereas if the remainder of the Letters had been exactly measured, and the face blackt and lightly wash'd off again, as in Prints, some things more might have been spelled. As to the nature of the Stone itself, it is of a course Rag, the same with that of the Pyramids at Burrow-Briggs. It is 4 foot high, and was ascended to by steps, which appear eth in that all the sides, but the Front, have two square holes near the bottom, which let-in the Irons that joyn'd it to the Steps. I have carefully designed it in all its sides, and have given the Plane of the Top also; which if you please we will survey in order. 1. The Back-side, opposite to the Inscriptions; on which is ingraven in Basse-relief, a Flower-pot furnished, I suppose with what pleased the Stone-cutter, for these men needed not to be more curious than the Priests themselves, who were wont to make use of Herbs next hand to adorn the Altars, and therefore Verbena is put for any kind of Herb. Yet if we will have it resemble any thing with us, I think it most like, if not truly Nymphaea, a known and common River Plant. 2. One of the sides, which is somewhat narrower than the Front or Back: on this are engraved in Bass-relieve, the Cutting-knife (cepspita) and the Ax (securis). The Knife is exactly the same with that on the other Altar formerly by me mentioned in the Philosophical Collections of Mr. Hooke; but the Ax is different; for here it is headed with a long and crooked point, and there the head of the Ax is divided into 3 points. 3. The other side; on which are engraved after the same manner an Eure (Urceolus) and a Ladle, which serve for a Sympulum. This I call rather a Ladle, than a Mallet, it being perfectly Dish-wise and hollow in the middle, altho Camden is of another opinion in that elegant Sculpt of the Cumberland Altar. And the very same Utentil I have seen and noted on the Ickley Altar, which is yet extant at Middleton Grange near that Town; but the Stone which Camden saies supports a pair of Stairs there (as at this day it does in the very Road) is but an ill Copy of it, and not the Original. 4. The Plane of the Top; which is cut in the Figure of a Bason (discus or lanx,) with ansæ on each side, consisting of a pair of links of a chain, which rest upon, and fall over two Rowles; And this was the Harth. 5. The Front; which hath an Inscription of nine lines in Roman Letters, each Letter a very little more than two inches deep of our measure; now remaining as in the prefixt Sculpture, Fig. 5. which I would read thus, Dis deabusq; Matribus pro Salute M. Aurelii Antonini Augusti Imperatoris — votum solvit lubens lubens merito ob reditum. The Deæ Matres are well interpreted by Selden. It is much his Safety and Return both vowed, should be so separated in the Inscription; but I have not Gruter by me to compare this with the like. Caracalla say the Historians * after his Fathers death at York, took upon him the Command of the Army alone, and the whole Empire; he went alone against the Enemie, who were the Caledonij &c. inhabiting beyond the Wall which his Father had built, he made Peace with them, received their Hostages, slighted their fortified places, and returned. And this seems to be confirmed by the Inscription; for undoubtedly upon this his last Expedition of him alone, without his Brother Geta and Mother, was this Altar erected to him alone, at a place about Two Stations on this side the Wall. So that the Vow might be as well understood of his Return from this expedition, as for his Safety and return to Rome; which mi-thinks should be true, or his Mother and Brother Geta would scarce have been left out, at least so early. For yet the Army declared for them both, according to their Fathers Will. Further, it seems also to have been erected by those who flatter'd him, and who were afterwards killed by him; and for this reason the persons Names, who dedicated it, seem to me to be purposely defaced, the 6 and 7th Lines of the Inscription being designedly cut away by the hollowness of them, and there not being the least sign of any Letter remaining, and this I suppose might be part of their disgrace, as it was usual to deface and break the Statutes and Monuments of persons executed, of which this Monster made strange havoc. But since worn Inscriptions admit of various readings, because some Letters are worn out, and some more legible, whereby not prejudiced people may conceive them diversly, I will therefore tell you another reading of part of the two first lines, which I do not disallow, but that it will agree well enough with the History of Severus, tho his Apotheosis, or solemn deification, was not performed till he came to Rome, in the manner of which Funeral Pomp Herodian is very large; it was of that excellent Antiquarie Dr. Johnson of Pomfret CONSERVATO RI. B. PROS &c. The rest as follows in mine, which Which shews the height of Flattery of those times. So that they paid their Vows to the lately dead Father the Conservator of Britain, for the safety of the Son; and the Story tells us how gladly he would have had him made a God long before, even with his own hand. I think it not amiss, if I give you the rest of my Observations concerning these matters, which I have met with in this City. 1. A large Pedestal of the same sort of Stone, found deep in the ground, on the West side of the River, which by the Stone, and its mouldings, was undoubtedly Roman, and must have been for a Pillar in some large building. 2. A Broken Inscription in the Church-wall in All-Saints North-street, with the Figure of a Naked Woman in Bass-relieve on the left side of it. The Letters (as many of them as remain) are exceeding fairly cut, beyond anything I have yet seen of Roman Antiquities in England, and the Stone of a finer grain than ordinary. It is a Monument of Conjugal Affection. The first stroke is the outside of a great M, and is part of the Dis Manibus. The three last lines may be read thus, Benè merenti Antonio Conjugi: Yet it is hard to say, whether ther it was for the Husband or Wife, for it may be read Antonia. The Points also between the words are here very singular, but this was the caprice of the Stone-cutter, who sometimes also use a Leaf, hanging or erect, a Hand, a Feather, or such odd fancy for Points. An Abstract of a Letter from Mr. Anthony Leewenhoek writ to Sir C. W. Jan. 22. 1684. from Delft. Having lately met with a Book published by a Physician of our Country, which treats of Humane Generation, and the Egg-branch as it is found in Women-kinds and not doubting but what is there said, is also applicable to Four-footed Beasts, I examin'd (in the presence of a Physician and other learned Persons as well as alone) the Egg-branches of several Lambs of a year old, that had been several Months in the Winter kept in a Stall for fatting, separated from the Rams. From what I have hitherto found I cannot but wonder why it should be generally believed, That the Tuba Fallopiana does draw, or suck down an Egg from the Egg-branch, thro so narrow a passage, as I knew'd the Tuba Fallopiana to have. Considering therewithal that some of the Eggs were as big as Pease, and others as large as the whole Egg-branch: That they were made up of Glandulous parts interwoven with Blood-Vessels, and were shut up so fast in their Skins or Membranes that I could not with my Nails tear one of them from the Egg-branch: That some of them consisted of very irregular and unlike parts, which were in some places inclosed in particular Skins, and had not at all the shape of an Egg: That some of them which stood out beyond the rest were burst open; and yet when I went to pull them off