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This affords a sufficient Confirmation of what I before obscrv’d, Thatthese vere Honorary Inscriptioni in Memory of those that bad behav’d them-selvcs well in Tublick Ojßces ; of wliich we bave scveral mention’d here,whereof some are very well Known, but the Ochers not ea(y to be metwith in Books. By the Word MHTPOKOA<aN6IAC we may be Asiured, thatthough this City was Reduc’d by the Romans mto the Form of a Colony, yetit bad a Peculiar Mark of Honour set upon it, to Signify that it was theChief of their Gelenks in these Oriental Parts; that the Äuthoriiy also oftheir Senate and People was Continu’d to them; And belides, that thcrewas a Society of Men, either Curatori of the Temple of Jupiter Belus (towhom the Temple before Describ’d perhaps was Dcdicatedj or Over-scers ofthe Sports and Festivals that were Celebrated in Honour of him, of whichSodality this Septimius was, when this Inscripticn was made, a Sympoßartb ,perhaps their Chief and Governour. By this too we find they did not waittot the Deaths ot those they thus Honoured y before they provided tor thePresorvation of their Memortcs : but Famous Men were thus Registred forAfter-ages even while they were Altve.
Upon one of these Pedeftals before Describ’d, not far from the Former,was the following Infcription ; which I valu’d the more for the little Re-mainder it has preierv’d of the Name of Palmyra, by which the Place wasKnown to the Romans.
...rniAION OTOPwAHN [CTNKA]HTIKON KAI BOTA^TTHN TIAA-MTPHMON BHAA KABOCAPCA TON <t>l[AON] T0MHC XAPIN 6TOTCO ch.
TheUpptrEnd of this Spacious Piazza was ffiut in by a Rotv of Pillars,standing ibmewhat Closer than those on Each Side : and perhaps there mighchave been a kird of Banjuetting-Houfe above, but now no certain Fcot-stepsthereof remain. But a little fa\thcr to the Lest Hand, and, it maybe, Continu’d with the former Walh., lie the Ruins of a very Stately Pudd-ing, which I am apt to btlieve might bave been for such an Use. ’TisBudt of a barer Marhle , and has an Air of Delicacy and Excjutßteneß in theWork , beyond wbat is Disocrnable in the Piazza- The Pillars which Sup-ported ir, are of One Entire Stonc : and on one of them that is fallendown, but so Firm and Strong that it has rcceiv’d no Injury thereby, weMeasor’d and found 22 Foct in Lergth, and in Compass 8 Foot and c) Inche\Among these Ruins we found the orly Latin Infcription we saw in the Place,a id that so Imperfect, there is but littte of it Intelligible.
. es Grbis & Propagatores Ceneris Humani D. D. N. N.
Diocletianus . jjimi Irnpp. Et Qonßanttus & Jlaximiantss
Nobb. Caf. C afira feliciter condtdtrum.
And upon the fame Sterne a little lowcr,
ntes