An Explication of a Roman Inscription Found Not Long since on a Stone at Silchester in Hamshire: By John Ward, Rhet. Prof. Gresh. and F. R. S.

Eyelid, in about a Fortnight, recovered its healthful and proper Situation. I did not think proper to torment the poor Patient with the Operation of the Trichiasis; which, tho' very easy to the Operator, is not so to the Patient; and I found, by the Application of proper Topicks, the Eyelid recovered Strength daily; and I judged by the Continuance of the same Method it would soon be well. It will not be easy to account how Sight should remain after the Optic Nerve was so stretched; which it must be in a very considerable manner in this Case; and how it came to contract or recover itself so soon, after being so great a while extended. It is true, that while the Optic Nerve was in its State of Extension, the Sight was impaired; but, after seven Years Extension, how it came to recover itself in a Month's time, without any Alteration in the Sight, but for the better, I leave to the Speculation of the Curious. It is likewise pretty extraordinary how the Muscles, after having been so many Years in Disuse, should recover their natural Action in so short a time. See Tab. II. Fig. 8. XV. An Explication of a Roman Inscription found not long since on a Stone at Silchester in Hampshire: By John Ward, Rhet. Prof. Gresh. and F. R. S. Read Dec. 13. 1744. The Draught, which accompanies this Paper, contains an exact Copy of a Roman Inscription, lately communicated to me by Dr. John Collet, Physician at Newbury. The Account, Account, which he gives of it, is this: The original Stone, in which it is cut, was found at Silchester, within the antient Market Place, about four Feet under ground; and is now in the Possession of Mr. John Stair of Aldermaryton, who took this Copy of it by pressing the Paper into each Letter and Mark in the Stone, so that every Part is exactly of the same Size and Form with the Original. The two Stops in the Shape of Leaves are not cut so deep as the Letters, or the triangular Points. The Stone is one Inch and five Eighths in Thickness; and those Parts of it, which are wanting both at the End of the Lines, and at the Bottom, were broken off and lost, before it was dug out of the Ground. With that larger Draught I have also sent a lesser, by a Scale of one Fourth of it (see Tab. II. Fig. 9.). And from the usual Form of such votive Inscriptions, and the Manner of expressing them, I apprehend, there are not many Letters lost at the End of the Lines, and but one Line wanting at the Bottom; so that if all the Words were written at Length, and the Line, which is wanting, supplied, the Whole would run in the following Manner. Deo Herculi Segontiacorum Titus Tammonius, Sacrius Tammonius Vitalis, cornicularius, honoris causa dedicarunt vel fieri curarunt. We find no less than six Altars dedicated to Hercules in Mr. Horley's Britannia Romana, two of which have the Title DEO prefixed to the Name HERCVLI (a), as in this Inscription. But as the --- (a) Northumb. num. LXXI, XCIV. Thinness of the Stone shews, that it could not be part of an Altar, it might probably belong to some public Building erected to his Honour at this Place. Mr. Stair, as Dr. Collet informs me, has drawn a Plan of the antient Town, the Traces of which are sometimes visible in Summer; as likewise the Ruins of an Amphitheatre, without the Wall, not far from the Eastern Gate. This would have led me to imagine, that this Stone might formerly have been removed from thence; but that I cannot meet with any Instance of an Amphitheatre dedicated to Hercules, tho many Temples and other Buildings were erected in Honour of him, as may be seen in Gruter. The Word SEGON. in the second Line, must, I think, be read SEGONTIACORUM, as referring to the Name of the People Segontiaci. Thus we have in Mr. Horsley DEAE NYMPHAE BRIGANTVM (a), and MOGVNTI CADENORVM (b); and in Mr. Camden DEO MOVNO CADENORVM (c); denoting the topical Deities of those People. For as to the Town Segontium, notwithstanding the Affinity of its Name with the Segontiaci, it was at a great Distance from them, as appears by Antonine's Itinerary (d), being situated on the Western Coast over against the Isle of Anglesea, where Caernarven now stands; and therefore it could have no Relation to this Inscription. The three following Lines contain the Names of the two Persons, who caused this Dedication to be made (a) Pag. 269, 315. (b) Northumb. num. LXXX. (c) Brit. p. 663, edit. 1607. (d) Iter xi. made in Honour of Hercules, that is, TITVS and SAENIVS TAMMONIVS, that of VITALIS in the fifth Line being a Cognomen of the latter, which often occurs as such in Gruter. The two imperfect Letters at the Beginning of the sixth Line I take for OR, which with C before them, now broken off, making the Syllable COR might stand for an Abbreviation of the Word CORNICVLARIVS. We find CORNICVL. for CORNICVLARIVS both in Mr. Horsley (a) and Gruter (b); and Reinesius reads K. LG. XIII. cornicularius legionis decimæ tertiae (c), K being put for C, which was not uncommon. And I believe it would not be easy to find any other Word, that would suit the Reading in this Place. Cornicularius was a general Title for a Clerk or Secretary to a military Corps; or some superior Officer, military or civil. Hence we meet with cornicularius cohortis, legionis; tribuni, praefecti, consulis; as also tribuni plebis (d). And in the Notitia dignitatum imperii Romani, published by Labbe, this is one of the Officers said to belong to the Court of the comitis littoris Saxonici per Britanniam (d), who commanded this Part of the Island. Saenius Tammonius therefore might possibly be that Officer, and choose in this Manner to join with the other Tammonius in shewing a Regard to the tutelar Deity of the Country, where they resided. As there can be no Doubt, but the other Word in the same Line, when perfect, was HONORIS; --- (a) Northumb. lxiv.6. (b) Pag. dxlv. num. i. (c) Clafl. i. num. 192. (d) See Pancirol. Comment. in Notit. Dignitat. p. ii. (e) Sect. l.ii. whoever considers the common Forms of such votive Inscriptions, will readily supply the Word CAVSA with DD. or F.C. for DEDICARVNT or FIERI CVRARVNT in a following Line, now broken off, as necessary to complete the Whole. Had this Inscription been sooner discovered, it would have saved our Antiquaries much Trouble in fixing the Situation and Limits of the Segontiaci; about which they have been greatly at a Loss, and led into different Opinions. Those People are first mentioned by Caesar; who in the Account of his second Expedition into Britain says, that the Trinobantes having submitted to him, the Cenimagni, Segontiaci, Ancalites, Bibroci, and Cassi, followed their Example (a). The Trinobantes are placed by Mr. Camden in Middlesex and Essex (b), and the rest in the neighbouring Counties on each Side the Thames; the Segontiaci particularly in the North Part of Hampshire, in Holeshot Hundred (c). And he rightly takes Vindonum or Vindomis, as it is called by Antonine (d), now Silchester, to have been their principal Town. But tho Dr. Gale agrees with Camden in making Silchester the same as the antient Vindomis; yet he thinks, that Town did not belong to the Segontiaci. His Words are these: Segontiaci oram maritimam circa Cicestriaem, olim Caer Cei, longe infra hanc urbem tenuerunt; & errant, qui credunt Vindonim eorum fuisse civitatem (e). Mr. Horsley differs from them both; and neither admits Silchester to be the antient --- (a) B. G. Lib. v. c. 20; 21. (b) Pag. 298. edit. 1607. (c) Ibid. p. 194. (d) Iter xii. xv. (e) Comment. in Antonin. Iter. Brit. p. 135. antient Vindomis, nor to lie within the Bounds of the Segontiaci; but takes it for Calleva Atrebatum (a), mentioned likewise in the Itinerary (b). From the Difficulty therefore of fixing the Situation of the Segontiaci, Dr. Clarke contents himself with only placing the Word incertum against their Name (c). But had this short Inscription, as imperfect as it is, offered itself to these learned Writers, none of them could have been at any further Doubt, either in placing Vindomis, and not Calleva (which belonged to the Atrebates) where Silchester now stands; or including this Town within the Limits of the Segontiaci. The Want whereof has likewise occasioned them no less to differ in settling some other neighbouring Stations, which by this Help might have been fixed with much more Agreement and Certainty. I would beg Leave further to observe, with regard to the Persons concerned in this Dedication, that Mr. Camden has published the following Inscription found long ago at Silchester, MEMORIAE FL. VICTORINAE T. TAM. VICTOR CONIVX POSVIT (d); wherein the abbreviated Names T. TAM. are read by Mr. Horsley TITVS TAMPHILVS (e); the latter of which occurs indeed in the Fasti Consulares, but as a Cognomen, M. BAEBIVS TAMPHILVS. Wherefore I am more inclined to think, it should be read TAMMONIVS, as it has there the Place of a Family Name; and that probably he was (a) Brit. Rom. p. 457. (b) It. vii. xii. (c) Ind. propior. nom. apud Caes. (d) Britann. p. 196. edit. 1607. (e) Brit. Rom. p. 332. the TITVS TAMMONIVS mentioned in this other Inscription. It is true, that he has the Cognomen VICTOR given him in the former, which does not appear in this; but either he might not have gotten that till afterwards, or the initial Letter V might have stood at the End of the third Line after TAMMONIVS, which, as several Writers observe, was antiently put for VICTOR. And it is very remarkable, that Gruter has given us a like votive Inscription, erected by two Persons, having both the same Family Name, with the Cognomen VICTOR added to one, and VITALIS to the other, like those in the Instance before us. Gruter's Inscription runs thus: APOLLINI. SACRVM. EX. VOTO. C. VIRIVS. VICTOR. ET. L. VIRIVS. VITALIS. S. L. M (a). It is not improbable therefore, that in both Cases the two Persons were either Brothers, or nearly related to each other. (a) Pag. xxxviii, num. 17. Gresham College, December 8, 1744. John Ward. IMP·CAES·M·AVRELI·SEVERO·ANTONINI·PIO·FELICI·XXG·PARVUS·MAX·BRIT·MAX·GERM·MAX·PONTIFICI·MAX·TRIB·POTEST·XVIII·II·COS·III·PROCONS·PP·COS·FIDA·WARDVL·CREC·NNANA·FECIT·SVB·LEG· Fig. 1. p.158. Fig. 2. p.160. Fig. 3. p.238. Fig. 4. p.238. Fig. 5. p.177. Fig. 6. p.177. Fig. 7. p.177. Fig. 8. p.195-200. IMP·CAES·M·AVRELIO SEVERO·ANTONINO PIO·FELICI·XXG·PARTHIC· MAX·BRIT·MAX·GERM· MAX·PONTIFICI·MAXIM· TRIB·POTEST·XVIII·IMP·II· COS·III·PROCONS·PP·COH·I· FIDA·ARDVL·CREO·XANO· NNANA·FECIT·SVB·CVRA·IO· LEG·XX·GR MARTI VICTORI VLIVS LI IVS TRIE V·S·L·M. DEO·HER SAEGON T·TAMMON SAE·TAMMON VITALIS HONO