( 4H )

Roman Letters, each Letter a very little more than two Incbes Deep of ourMcasure, now Remaining as in the Sculpture j which I would Read thus,Dts Deabufyue Matribus pro Salute M. Aurtlsi Antonini Anguß i Imperatoris —Votum Solvi: lubens lubens merito ob Reditum.

The Dea Matres are well interpreted by Seiden. Ic is much his Safetyand Retum, both Vow’d, should be so Separa ted in the Infcription. Cara-calla, üy the Historians, after his Father’s Deatb at Ytrk, tookupon him theCommand of the Avmy Ahne, and the whole Empire ■ He went Alone a-gainst the Enemy, who were the Caledonii Inhabiting beyond the Wallwhich his Father bad Budt. He made Peace with them, Received their Ho-stages, Slighted their Fortify’d Placts, and Return’d. And this seems to beGonfirm’d by the Infcription ; for undoubtedly upon this last Expedition ofhim Alone, without his Brother Geta and Mothor, was this Altar Erected tohim Alone, at a place about x Stations on this side the Wall. So that theVow might be as well understood of his Return from this Expedition, as for■his Safety and Return to Rome ; which methinks should be True, or hisAbther and Brother Geta would scarce have been lest our, at least so early.For yet the Army declared for them both, according to their Father’’sWtü.

Further, it seems also to have been Erected by those who Flattered him,and who were afterwards Kill’d by him; and for this Reason the PerscnsHarnes, who Dedicated it, seem to me to be Purposely Defac’d, the 6thand yth Lines of the Infcription being Defignedly Cut away by the Hollow-ness of them, and there not being the least Sign of any Letter remaining,and this I fuppose might be part of their Disgrace, as it was usoal to De-face and Break the Statues and Monuments of Persons Executed, of whichthis Monßer made stränge Havock.

There isanotherreading ofPartofthe two firfi Lines, which I do notDisol-low, butthat it will Agree wcllenoug’n with the History ofS«E«r, tho' hisApotheosis, or Solemn Deificaticn, was not perform’d till he came to Reme,in the Männer of which Funeral Pomp, Herodian is very Large ; it was ofthat excellent Antiquary Dr. yohnfon of Tomfret. CONSERVATO-RI. B. PROS, &c. as itfollows in Mine, Which shews the Height ofFlattery of those Times. So that they paid their Vows to the lately DeadFather the Confervatcr of Bntain, for the Safety of the Se»; and the Storyteils us how gladly he would have had him made a God long before, evenwith his Own Hand.

Two Roman XVIII. Dr. Cay of Newcaßle has sollt me the Copies of two Roman Al-thumberUnd^fcj tars - The former of them was raken out of the Roman Wall not far fromMr. Ralph Tho- Collerton, or Choüarton *, and May tempt us tobelieve that the Oid Prcccli-/Tcfi;." 231 tia i which was the Station of the Cohors prima Batavorum, was rathet%■ lZ - There, which is an Important Place, (where the River Tine interrupting the

* Propt CoüerCOD Cilurnum. Notitia Di^niutum Impirii-, est tamen Procolitia alius Locus *Ciluruo.

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