The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-09
PILATES BIRTHPLACE.

Had this question been put to Chas.
Churchill, the poet, inf1amed with ran
cor against his pet aversion, the Earl of
Butte, he might have replied mo, but
Judas Iscariot was proably a Scots
man." Nevertheless, there is a moss
grown tradition current in Perthshire
that the Roman ruler of Judea was
born in GIenIyon. not far from the spot
where the ancient yew of Fortingal1
has fourished, according to experts in
arboriculture, for 5000 years. 1t is sta
ted circumstantially that shortly be-
fore the birth of Christ an embassy
was sent to Scotland by Caesar Angus
itus, one of the ambassadors being the
father of PontiuS plate. The Romans
were cOurteOusly received by MetallauS
or Metallanus, a Caledonian chief or
petty king, and were conducted to his
primitive residence, near Fortingan. BY
a rather unusual circumstance it ap-
pears that the mother of Pontius plate
had accompanied her husband on this
embassy, and it is asserted that the fu-
ture governor of Judea was born in this
remote district of western PerthShire.
The story is not absolutely incredible,
though there are arguments that may
be adduced on both sides.
1t is probably certain that Caesar
Augustus did send an embassy to Scot
land about the beginning of the Chris
tian era, and Metellanus was the name
of a Scottish ruler who began his reign
about 2 B. G. The remains of a Roman
camp are still visible near Fortingall,
though its origin is usually assigned to
a later date; but there is every proba-
bility that the Caledonians had a. set
tIement in the neighborhood at an early
period. Indeed, it is additionally re-
ported that Agricola had a fierce con-
test with Caractacus, the successor of
Metellanus, on this very spot. On the
other hand, 1t does not seem likely that
a delicately nurtured Roman lady
would have left her villa on the Tiber
~, Il I1,~,x a fI,A IaV, 81 To-,
voyage, and riSked her life and that of
her unborn babe among the barbarians
of this distant isle. 1t is curious that
no mention of Pilates father is found
anywhere save in this Scottish tradi-
ton. The early life of PLATE is unknown
and nearly all that is recorded of him
is contained in the works of JOsephus.
There is not, therefore, a, Roman YER
sion of his birth to set against the ira
dition and possibly that may account
for the invention of the story as an af
terthought. 1t is asserted that the mis-
sion of the Roman ambassadors was
successful, and that they eSta blished
with Metallanus IAN amitie with the
Romans, which continued betwixt them
and his kingdom for long time after"
1t is remotely possible, therefore, that
Pontius PLATE may have been born in
Scotland.
1t is certain, at least, that If he were
born at Fortingall the ancient yew
which is still in existence would then
be a tree of goodly dimensions. This
yew is believed to be the oldest tree i'll
Europe. 1t was described by Hon.
DANES Darlington in''The Transactions
of the Royal Society in 1852 in these
terms: Il measured the circumference
of this yew tree, and therefore cannot
be mistaken when inform you that it
amounted to 81 feet. Nothing scarcely
now remains but the outward bark,
which hath been separated by the CEN
ter of the tree decaying within these
20 years. What still appears, however,
is "a feet in circumference" Pennant.
who saw the tree in 1869, described it in
his Tour" published in 1771, and esti-
mated its circumference at Sc feet, Civ
ing a sketch of it which showed it's di-
1apidated condition. In the statistical
Account of Scotland" published in 1871,
the dimensions are given as 81 feet.
Strut gives drawing of the tree in his
''Sylva Britannica" Early in this CEN
fury it was seriously injured by the
souvenir makers in the neighborhood.
In 1870 the late Sir Robert Christian
Bart, made a scientific examination of
the Fortingall yew, and calculated that
when DANES Darlington measured the
tree in 1863 it must have been at least
5000 years old. Though reduced to
mere shell, this yew still carries profuse
foliage, and may justly be regarded as
one of the wonders of the vegetable
world. One may doubt the Pontius Pr
late legend, but it is beyond question
that the FortingaIl yew was a goodly
tree thousand years before the birth
of Christ.