The midland journal., 1902-01-03
AN ENGLISH ROMAN CRY.
Some Interesting Discoveries Lately
Made i'm the Silchester, Eng
land, Excavations.

/ Few of US realize for how long a
period the Roman occupation of Brit
ain lasted. 1t will presently be 300
years since the death of Queen Eliza
beth, and how great part that time
seems of our national story! But
from the landing of Caesar to the re-
call of the troops by Honorius was
half as long again-over 450 years.
That was the time of which Cowper
wrote:
The Romans taught thy stubborn knee to
bow,
But twice Caesar could not bend thee
now.
1t was a bright time for Britain, if
one may believe the orator Eumenius'
panegyric on Constantine: "Oh, for
! tunate Britannia" he exclaims, "thee
hath nature deservedly enriched with
the choicest blessings of heaven and
earth! Thou feelest neither the ex-
cessive cold of winter nor the scorch-
ing heat of summer. Thy harvests
supply thy tables with bread and thy
cellars with liquor. 1nnumerable are
thy herds of cattle and thy focks of
sheep, which feed thee plentifully and
clothe thee richly" Well said, Eume-
MUS; Britain's good fortune had al
ready begun. Those Is generations
: of Roman governors and settlers built
cities and made roads, introduced civ
ilization and law, the arts of peace and
war, and became enc of the factors
of this nation, says the London Tele-
graph. Whose cares to look behind
the scenes of that spacious time-and
who cares not?-let him go to the
rooms of the Society of Antiquaries,
Burlington house, during the next
fortnight and see the free exhibition
of remains which diligent explorers
have disentombed from the old buried
British-Roman town of Calleva, or Cal
leva Attrebatum.
1t is wonder-provoking story, that
of Calleva. At this day the place is
portion of farm in Berkshire, part
of the Strathfield estate, in the parish
of Silchester, some ten miles south
west of Reading, and three miles from
Mortimer station of the Great North
ern railway. Possibly 1900 years ago
1T was Roman town, with a wall
around it two miles In circuit, Then
the Romans left; fierce Saxon times
followed, and soon Calleya perished,
1t was deserted town. Next for
hundreds of years it was buried; pas
lures grew, and corn crops ripened
where there had been basilica and
forum and shrine. Yet the covered
city would not be ignored; for faithful
! al al ~, lo -
tells us that "the lines of the streets
were noticed through differences in
the color of the crops growing over
them" Even in our ashes live their
wonted fires. Then in 1864, at the
expense of the duke of wellington,
regular explorations began, and Rev.
j. G. Joyce, rector of Strathfieldsaye,
unearthed two large and two small
houses, a circular temple, great town
hall or basilica, marketplace or for
um, and a large building, with baths
attached, which was believed to have
been an inn or hospitium.
Since 1890 the work has been carried
on by the Silchester excavation fund,
and there have been found A addition
al complete houses, parts of 13 others,
a private building establishment, two
square temples, a small shrine, Chris
tian chureh-probably of the fourth
century, and one of the oldest relics
of Christianity In Europe-and Sc
ries of buildings in an industrial quar-
ter, which were perhaps dye works,
besides a singular system of drains
and a small water gate. Here is no
military camp, but civil township,
and no Roman military camp is half
the size of the SilchesteF area, In no
other Roman-British site have there
been brought to light so many houses,
| temples, OF public buildings; and no
other place has yielded forum OF a
Christian church, The objects pew
shown are of the civil type-smiths'
and carpenters tools, a shoemaker's
anvil, plow coulters, huge paddock,
copper and bronze cooking pans, vases,
vessels Of curious patterns, panel of
mosaic pavement, and coins from the
republican days of Marc Antony
through the imperial domination
down to the withdrawal. They are
mostly of bronze. Many of silver have
been found. but gold coins are very
rare. 1t may be added that gold coins
of the reign of King Edward VII, to
the value of $4,000, are also lacking
wanted to complete these most in
teresting explorations. The whole
are covers 100 acres, OF these 73
have been eXcavated and planned, "but
a considerable portion of the city still
remains to be explored" Beneath
there may yet be buried priceless me-
MORALS Of that distant past.
"Reminiscences,
"Henrietta," said Mr.. Meektpn. "do
you remember the mooniit evening
when | asked you to marry me?"
Il trust, Leonidas, that you are not
going to become sentimental and silly"
Not a bit of it. But l often recall
the eesasioa with interest. can
never quite understand how I man
aged to talk so Familiarity TO you
without seeming impertinent Wash
ington Star.
PretiiSF Pictures.
A little girl went visiting one day,