An Account of Four Roman Inscriptions, Cut upon Three Large Stones, Found in a Ploughed Feild Near Wroxeter in Shropshire, in the Year 1752: with Some Observations upon Them, by John Ward, LL. D. Rhet. Prof. Gresh. and V. P. R. S.

tion of this that day produced so good an effect, that all her pain ceased: he also bled her in the arm and foot, ordering emollient clysters. She was purged some days after, with manna and cassia, which did very well; and she was perfectly cured, without the least deformity, and could see better than before the operation. XXXI. An Account of four Roman Inscriptions, cut upon three large Stones, found in a ploughed field near Wroxeter in Shropshire, in the year 1752: With some Observations upon them, by John Ward, LL.D. Rhet. Prof. Gresh. and V.P.R.S. Read May 15, 1755. BEFORE I attempted to offer my thoughts upon these inscriptions, I judged it necessary to get the best information in my power, with regard to the place and manner, in which the stones, that contained them, were first discovered, together with some other circumstances, which attended them at that time. For this purpose I applied myself to the Reverend Mr. William Adams, Minister of St. Chad in Shrewsbury, by whose means the draughts of these inscriptions were communicated to this Society (1). And that gentleman was so obliging, as to procure for me a very particular account concerning them, in a letter from the Reverend Mr. Robert Cartwright, Vicar of Wroxeter, the substance of which is as follows. The stones (1) See Tab. V. stones were found in a field near a mile from Wroxeter, formerly a Roman station called Uriconium (1), in the months of September and October 1752. The first of them was discovered by Mr. John Dias, the owner of the field, whose plough struck against it, as he was at work. It lay with the face downward, about two hundred yards from the foundation of the old walls, on the north east side, towards Watlingstreet road. The inscription upon this stone was first taken notice of by Mr. Cartwright himself, and the report of it soon after engaged some gentlemen from Shrewsbury, and particularly George Edwards esquire, both to go and view it, and make a further search; when by spitting the ground the other two were discovered, not far from the first, in the like situation. The first and last lay separate from their bases, which being taken up, several broken pieces of urns, and dust of a greyish colour, were found with them, which seemed to have the appearance of ashes. They are now all removed to an old chancel in Wroxeter church, in order to be erected there against the wall. This account appears so full and distinct, that I shall now go on to give a short description of the stones, with the reading of their several inscriptions, in the order they are placed in the Table; and then add some further observations, as well with regard to the stones themselves, as the inscriptions upon them. Number 1. is by the scale six feet eight inches high, and about two feet three inches wide above the (1) In the year 1701, a Roman sudatory was discovered at this place, a draught whereof, with some account of it, was published in the Philosophical Transactions, Num. 306. which seems to have escaped the observation of Horsley, Brit. Rem. p. 419. base. It has a pediment top, with a pine apple rising from the middle of the cornice, on each side of which is a lion, and in the area of the pediment a kind of rose. The inscription, which is cut in the plane of the stone, may be thus read: *Caius Manius, Caii filius, Pollia tribu, Secundus Pollentinus, miles legionis viceismae, annorum LII, stipendiorum XXXI, beneficiarius legati principalis, hic situs est.* Number II. contains two inscriptions, and is in height two feet seven inches and about a third, by two feet four inches and two thirds in breadth. It is not flat, as the former, but gently convex crossways, the lower part being divided into three panels; on the two first of which are the inscriptions, but the other seems never to have had any upon it. The upper part is ornamented with a pediment, in the area of which are the remains of a face with curled locks, and two snakes under it; and on the cornice two figures like dolphins. The first inscription may be read thus: *Diis Manibus. Placida annorum LV, curam agente conjuge annorum XXX.* And the other in this manner: *Diis Manibus. Deuccus annorum XV, curam agente patre.* Number III. is six feet eleven inches high, and about two feet broad above the base. It has also a pediment at the top, the area of which is filled with a large flower. The inscription, it exhibits, may be read in the following manner: *Marcus Petronius, Lucii filius, Menenia tribu, vixit annos XXXVIII, miles legionis XIIII geminae, militavit annos XVIII, signifer fuit, hic sepultus est.* As these readings of the several inscriptions appear in general very plain and obvious; I shall now proceed to make a few observations, partly on the ornaments naments of the stones, and partly on some particular circumstances relating to the inscriptions themselves. And 1. As to the ornaments on Number I, we meet with the pine apple upon several urns, published by Montfaucon (1) and others; and it seems to have been cut on some funeral monuments in Horley, tho now it is generally pretty much defaced. The rose likewise is very common on such occasions. Horley has also given us a sepulchral monument, with a lion placed on each side of the fastigium, or pediment (2). With regard to the inscription, the name Secundus stands there for the cognomen; which at first was a praenomen, denoting the second son, as Primus did the first, and Tertius the third. But afterwards it was made a cognomen; and what was before the cognomen became hereditary, and served to distinguish different branches of the same family; as I have formerly shewn elsewhere (3). The next word, Pollentinus, comes from Pollentia, the place of his birth. But as there were antiently three Roman cities of that name, it is uncertain, which might be intended. He is called miles legionis vice/mae, which was one of those legions, as Horley observes (4), that came --- (1) Tom. v. plate 28, 33, 38, and 62. (2) Cumberl. xxxix. Mr. Cartwright in his letter observes, that the tongues of the lions, cut upon this stone, hang out of their mouths below their under jaws; which has been omitted in the draught here given of them. (3) Philos. Trans. N. 476, pag. 357. (4) Page 83. over into Britain in the reign of Claudius. But in all the British inscriptions hitherto published, where the reading is certain, the titles *valens victrix*, denoted by the initial letters V. V. are added to the name of this legion (1). And how they came to be omitted here, unless through neglect of the workman, may be difficult to apprehend. For to imagine this inscription was made, before the legion received those titles, would be mere conjecture, without any authority to support it. The last line but one has been read *beneficiarius legionis praefecti*. And we find indeed the title *praefectus legionis* in some of Gruter's inscriptions; but this seems not to have been introduced till pretty late, when each legion had its *legatus*, who is sometimes also called *praefectus* (2). But if that was to be taken here for the genuine reading, it would bring this inscription too low for the form of the letters, which seems very well to agree with the times of the higher empire. I have therefore given another reading of it above, which was proposed by a learned friend, namely, *beneficiarius legati principalis*; since in one of Gruter's (3) inscriptions we meet with *principalis beneficiarius tribuni*, written in words at length. 2. As to Number II, the human face, with two snakes under it, might probably be designed to represent *Hecate*, a name given to *Diana*, as a deity of the infernal regions. A figure somewhat like this, --- (1) See Brit. Rom. Northum. lxxviii. Chesb. i. and Sommerf. iii. where the reading is uncertain. (2) See Mont. Tom. iv. p. 13. and Supplem. Tom. v. p. 92. (3) Pag. DLI. 3. but with the snakes above the head, was placed over the gate of the city Ephesus, a draught of which is published by Mr. Chishull (1). Indeed the trigla, or mullet, is said by mythologists to have been con- secrated to Hecate (2); but there is no accounting for all the different fancies of sculptors. In Horley we find two dolphins placed in a contrary attitude, with their heads upwards, one on each side of a human figure, and a pine apple over it (3). And as garlands were a common ornament of such monu- ments, one hangs across each panel of this stone, above the inscriptions. In the first of these inscriptions the form of the expression, conjux triginta annorum, is what I do not remember to have met with elsewhere; and the point on each side the letter I. after the abbreviated word con. must, I presume, be ascribed to an error of the workman. And likewise in the second in- scription, the division of the word devc·cvS, by a point in the middle; the omitting the letter A. in the abbreviated word AG. for agente, and afterwards interlining it; and the imperfect letter R. for P. in the word patre, may best be accounted for in that way. The third panel might be left vacant, in order to insert some other inscription afterwards; and the lower part of the stone is now wanting below the in- scriptions. III. In Number III, the ornamental part of the stone has nothing in it, that requires observation. (1) Antiq. Asiat. Par. alter. pag. i. (2) See Voss. De idololatr. L. ii. c. 29. p. 167. (3) Durham. iv. And as to the inscription, the abbreviated word vic. may doubtless stand for vixit, the letter x. being resolved into cs. And so we find the word vixit for vixit, written at length in Horley (1). But the name of the legion here mentioned, which is called quartadecima gemina, may seem to be attended with no small difficulty. The stone happens to be cracked quite thro, just across the numeral figures, which express the number of the legion; but in such a manner, as no ways to deface or obscure them. Now we learn from Tacitus, that four Roman legions were sent into Britain in the reign of the emperor Claudius. Two of these were the twentieth and the fourteenth, both which are mentioned in these inscriptions. And the former of them remained here the greatest part of the time at least, that the Romans continued in possession of the island. But the latter was ordered hence by Nero, then sent back by Vitellius, and being recalled again at the beginning of Vespasian's reign, does not appear to have returned any more. "And that happening (as Horley observes) before the opportunity or humour of erecting inscriptions obtained; it is not to be wondered at, that we do not find this fourteenth legion mentioned in any inscription (2)." However, this Wroxeter stone gives us both the name of that legion, and an additional title of gemina subjoined to it; the origin of which title seems to have been owing to Pompey, who had, as Caesar says, among (1) Cumberl. lxx. (2) Page 80. his other legions of Roman citizens, *unam ex Sicilia veteranam, quam factam ex duabus gemellam appellavit* (1). That there was a legion, which bore the title of *quartadecima gemina*, is evident from several of Gruter's inscriptions; but they all relate to foreign countries, and not one of them to Britain. It is mentioned also by Dion, as being in his time, that is, under the reign of Severus, stationed in *Pannonia* (2). But it appears likewise from Caesar, that he himself had the *legio quartadecima* with him in Spain, not long after the commencement of the civil war (3), before the title *gemella* was introduced by Pompey. And therefore had the title *gemina* been given to the fourteenth legion, either before or while it was in Britain; it can scarce be supposed, that Tacitus, who so often mentions and extols that legion for its great services done here, should entirely have omitted it, especially as he gives that title to the *legio tertiadecima* (4). Sir Henry Savile indeed reckons the *legio quartadecima* among those of Galba, and ascribes to it the title of *gemina* (5). But he produces no other authority for it, than the passage before mentioned from Dion, who there speaks of this legion as having that title in his own time, without any intimation, when it first received it. Besides, that it did not receive the title of *gemina* during its residence in Britain, seems further evident from hence, that we find (1) *B. C. Lib. iii. cap. 3.* (2) *Lib. lv. pag. 564. edit. Leunclav.* (3) *B. C. Lib. i. cap. 44.* (4) *Hist. Lib. iii. cap. 7.* (5) *Translation of Tacitus, sub fin. p. 218.* no other legion here at that time, with which it could have been incorporated. For the other three, which continued longer among us, namely, the *legio secunda Augusta*, *legio nona*, and *legio vicefima valens victrix* remained distinct afterwards, and are all particularly mentioned by those different names. I shall only observe further, that as there are two legionary soldiers named in this and the first inscription, mention is there made of the tribe, to which each of them belonged, as Roman citizens; whereas in Horsley we have the monuments of three soldiers of the *legio secunda Augusta*, without any mention of their tribes (1). There is indeed at Bath an inscription of another soldier, said to have belonged to the *legio secunda adjutrix*, whose tribe is there expressed. But as that legion does not appear to have ever been in Britain, he may be supposed to have come hither for his health, for which reason it might be thought proper to mention that circumstance. And perhaps the most probable way of accounting for the same thing, in relation to the persons nominated in the first and last of these inscriptions now under consideration, may be to suppose, that the character here given of the former, as *beneficiarius legati principalis*, might occasion that regard being paid to his memory in this funeral monument. And the latter might come over on some particular occasion, not here mentioned, while the *legio quartadecima gemina*, to which he belonged, was stationed elsewhere. But several gentlemen in that neighbourhood designing (1) *Scotl. xxxiii. Manum. I. Midd. I.* shortly, as I am informed, to renew their search in and near the place, where these inscriptions were found; it is to be hoped, that some further light may by that means be gained, for the clearing up these difficulties. XXXII. Some Observations upon an American Wasps-Nest, shewn to the Royal Society: By Mr. Israel Mauduit, F.R.S. Read May 15, 1755. Mr. de Reaumur distinguishes wasps into three classes, from the different situations, in which they place their nests; some making choice of unfrequented parts of houses, some of little cavities in the earth, and others of the branches of trees for that purpose. The first of these is the largest sort, or hornet; the second is the common sort here in England; and the last is more frequent in America. The nest, which I now do myself the honour to communicate to this Society, was sent me from Maryland; where they are found on the lower kinds of trees, in the thickest parts of their woods. This is built upon a dogwood-tree, or the Cornus mas Virginiana; and hangs quite detached from the rest of the tree by an extreme branch, of little more than an inch circumference: which, with its smaller divisions running through the substance of the nest, answer the purpose of pillars, to unite and support the several floors of the building.