Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-10
THE GREAT ROMAN WALL.


THE GREAT ROMAN WALL.
The Most Interesting Remains in Great
Britain.
Murray's Magazine.
We have an account of the wall, as it
was garrisoned when it WAS living forti-
fication, and not ruin and an arena J.
logical curiosity. But how are the names
of the stations given in the list to be
identified? By the process which solves
most of the antiquarian puzzles that are
capable of solution, namely: by digging.
Suppose we begin at Chester, which under
Mr.. Clayton has been for aslong time the
center Of antiquarian operations. We dig
there, and we come upon stone bearing an
inscription which states that it was dedi-
Gated by "the curator of the second ala
OF the Astures.h Looking to oul list we
are led to suspect that this station now
known as Chester is the Roman Cilurmum.
Again we dig at the station now known as
Housesteads, and we find an altar dedi-
Gated to Jupiter by the project of the
goes q long ways towards identifying
11OuSSSlSouS WltA oOANONlSuS, old 81 I'LL
The reader will see at once the method of
Identification and will recognise at once
It's soundness. The result has been, as
already stated, that at least q dozen of
the stations beginning from the east and
going west have been identified. Con-
csrnipg some there is still doubt
and for several in the concluding portion
of the list in the Notitia, no place can be
fnr1rd no ~ Tho
most probable supposition seems to be
that few other stations, such as that at
Msrvpo1t and that at Old Carlisle may
have been regarded as auxiliary to the
general defense Of the border, and so In a
military summary may have been grouped
with the stations through which the wall
actually passed. However this may be,
the Identification of most of the wall
stations may be regarded as having been
Effected beyond all probability or even
possibility of mistake. Perhaps IS pretty
a solution of an antiquarian problem as
has ever been effected.
have already noticed that the spade
has brought to light an almost unlimited
number of antiquities in the shape of
affairs, carved and incised stones, vases,
bottles, coins, etc. 1t would take me be-
to this paper il were to attempt to give
an account of them. But I will just men
tion that the r oman wall has contributed
one Deity of the Pantheon, unkno wn else
where. Several dedicstions mention q
certain Deus Cocidius No one has yet
succeeded, so far as know, in discover
ing or plausibly guessing who Cocidius
was. Possibly some local Diety, whose
name wss Latinized and who was adopted
bV the evidently strong religious feeling
of the Roman rulers.
Brief as is the treatment of a great sub
ject contained in the for going pages 1t
is as much as think it wise to infiict
upon the reader. Br eff as it is slso, it
may be sufficient to stir in the readers
mind some interesting and weighty
tn lights. Gibbon was led by his con-
temptation OF the relics of ancient Rome
from the hill of the capitol to project his
grest work, and truly the contemplation
of the r man wall in its present condi-
ton, and the attempt to realize what 1t
was 1900 years ago, may stir up even in
an average mind many serious and solemn
reflections. This truly grand and i'm
perisl work is now one among many
one of the chief, but still enc among
mapy-antiquarian cuIiosities of our
island. The Northumbrian slopes, which
were covered in the days of the Roman
occupation with an active population, be-
long now 10 sheep and oxen and the cur
lew. Here and there sn isolated farm
house is the only representative of human
occupation. And during the period which
has been required for this Transformation
how many and how great are the other
changes which have taken place! The
Roman empire itself has become q thing
of the past, and an entirely new order of
things has been won from the berbarism
by which that empire was overwhelmed,
through the direct and indirect
action of the new spiritual kingdom Of
Christ, substituted for the Roman power.
The relics of the Roman wall speak with
touching emphasis Of the ruin of the
Roman empire itself, but perhaps they
also speak word of solemn warning to
the nation which alone since the days of
old Rome has proved itself TO possess
distinct fsculty for governing distant
lands. The lesson which they teach would
seem to be this, that something better
ands stronger than military walls and
military occupation Msaeeded in order to
insure the stabilitSCf an empire.
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