"And now I shall relate to you the manner of the Roman approaches nearer to London. For they always took care. to secure all behind them by their several camps or situations on their new made military ways. These led along Kent Street, on the left hand leading to London, and pointed directly to Dowgate, now so called, through an arch since built by the bishop of Winchester at his stairs, which to this day is called Stone Street, and came directly out of Surry.

"It was at this very place (as I take it) that the Roman legions forded over the river of Thames, first the horse, and then the foot, which might not then take them up to the shoulders. And this they might attempt (as we may conjecture) when the tide was first coming in, they then making an angle, and directing their course against the stream of the river. When they came to the middle of the stream, the tide drove them to their intended landing place, which was Dowgate. For you must suppose the river was much wider, and consequently much shallower than it is now, there being then no wharf, key, nor bridge, but a smooth sand to land upon. Neither was there at that time any mud, such as is now caused by vessels and timbers lying on

the shore.

Afterwards it happened that Ferrys were made use of on that part of the river, although they have been discontinued for some hundreds of years past. For the sands are in many places removed since the building of the bridge, which was first of wood and then of stone. After that, fording was more westward, as, for instance, at the end of the outward Temple, since called Essex House; next to which was Milford, so called from a mill to grind corn, and is to this day. called Milford Lane, just against St. Clement's church at that end of the Strond next Temple Bar. And all that shore to Westminster, long before it was built, was called the Strond.

"Against York House is another fordable place, but hath not been made use of for some years.

We

We may conclude that the Britains on this side were ready to receive the Romans at their coming on shore, though being not long able to endure the shock they gave them at their first landing, they fled and left them entire masters of the adjacent parts.

"The first thing the Roman general had principally to take care of, was to fix his camp and secure the army, which, after their first landing on this side, was about the middle of the street now called Bush Lane, where he pitched his tent, which was paved, as was customary among the Roman generals, and was encompassed about by the soldiers both horse and foot. This pavement was dug up some time after the dreadful fire of London, and part of it is now to be seen in the muscum of the Royal Society, where several other valuable remains of Roman antiquities are carefully preserved which may hereafter afford very good hints to such as shall attempt to write the antiquities of this famous city.

"The next care the Romans took to secure themselves in their new conquests, was by making public military ways, as that of Watling Street, which extended from the Tower to Ludgate, in a direct line; at the ends of which, for their better security, they built citadels as we now call them, or, as they were stiled by them, stations; one of which, without dispute, was what now goes by the name of the Tower, though this is not to be understood of the Tower as it appears at this day, but only of that part of it which we now call the White Tower, a place that hath since been made use of as a chapel to the princes that have kept their courts within those walls.

"The architecture of this White Tower is perhaps as aneient as any building now remaining amongst us. It is built like one of the Roman Rotundos, and exactly corresponds therewith. It was new cased by king Charles I.; but in Leland's time (as appears from a rude draught of it, for I take this draught to be designed for nothing else, at the end of the second tome of his Collectanea) it had four round turrets, and since three of them are made square. They all seem to me

to have been several stair-cases to go to the several offices. I have often viewed this chapel, and much admired its antiquityIt is commonly reported to have been built by Julius Cæsar, which I look upon as a good argument to shew that it is of the Roman times. It is not improbable that the Saxons made use of the same fortifications for their security after the Romans had left this island. For when the chapel was fitted up for reception of records there remained many Saxon inscriptions. No doubt William the Conqueror considerably augmented it to keep the citizens in awe upon any insurrection that might happen. For they had a reciprocal affection for

one another.

"I shall pass over a farther account of the antiquities of this place, and next observe, that not far distant from this station of the Romans, I mean the Tower, there was a burying place, which of late years was found to be in that ground, which commonly goes by the name of Goodman's Fields. These fields are mentioned by John Stow, but he takes no notice that they were a Roman burying-place. In digging the foundations for building of houses in or about the year 1678-9 there were found many urns, together with the ashes and bones of the dead, and several other antiquities, as brass and silver money, with an unusual urn in copper, curiously enamelled in colours, red, blue, and yellow, which was pre served by the then earl of Peterborough. I have seen many other antiquities found here, and had some of them formerly in my own possession.

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"I shall next turn towards Spittle Fields, where the like antiquities have been found many years ago, and were seen by John Stow, and are mentioned by Weever and others.

"These fields lie against Goodman's Fields, crossing White Chapel Street; where, on the farther side thereof next Bishopsgate Street, was another station of the Romans, in that part which formerly bore the name of the Old Artillery Ground, and was their field of Mars, in which place the Romans trained up and exercised their young soldiers, and likewise the youth of the neighbouring Britains, in the skill and exercise of arms, that they might be more expert in the use of

.C.

them

them upon all emergent occasions. And if any sudden tumults or insurrections should happen in the city, they were then ready and at band to suppress them.

"This field of Mars was in imitation of that at Old Rome, where they mustered their soldiers, and must needs have been a very large place, as the same is excellently described, and likewise observed to have been a Roman camp by a judicious author in the latter end of queen Elizabeth's reign.

"I shall next observe another old building of the Romans, which was a watch-tower, then and now called Barbican. It is mentioned by John Stow; but nothing remains of this antique building except the name. Here they kept cohorts of soldiers in continual service to watch in the night, that if any sudden fire should happen, they might be in readiness to extinguish it, as also to give notice if an enemy were gathering or marching towards the city to surprise them. In short, it was a watch-tower by day, and at night they lighted some combustible matter on the top thereof, to give directions to the weary traveller repairing to the city, either with provision, or upon some other occasion.

"The same was intended by a lanthorn on the top of Bowsteeple before the fire of London, (although seldom made use of) for burning of lights to give direction to travellers, and to the market people that came from the northern parts to London.

"This same watch-tower stood, as near as I can guess, much about the same place where the earl of Bridgwater's House stood before it was pulled down, (for I must confess I have not met with any remains of that ancient building,), and not far from the old military-road of the Romans, (which indeed sems to me to be the most ancient at this time extant) to this day called Old Street.

"In the same street against Golding Lane there likewise remains the stump or foot of an old cross, which we may ronclude was formerly a mile-stone. And I believe many others were placed in the cross-roads in several places of this kingdom, which were taken away by the ancient monks and

friers,

friers, and if near a monastery, a cross set up in the room thereof.

"This tower in Barbican was near unto Aldersgate Street, which put me upon farther enquiry relating to its antiquity. I look upon it as a sufficient confirmation of its being a Roman building, that just against Jewin Street there stand two houses with the date of 1589, and that on the front of them are the figures of some old Roman coins, which I suppose might be found in digging the foundations for building of those houses, and I am apt to believe that the builder for his curiosity might cause moulds of the same to be made as large as the brims of a middle sized hat, and that the plaisterer took them off, and fixed them in the front, under the first story window.

"Many more figures of the same kind were fixed up about the same year, viz. 1589, about which time much timber building was erected in and about London. Divers of which figures are still to be seen in the fronts of some houses, particularly in Oldbourne against Shew Lane, as also at the corner house (being the Queen's Head Tavern) of St. John's Lane, at the end of Peter Street, not to speify several houses besides, which I rather leave to the curiosity of others.

"And for a farther confirmation of this my opinion, I desire you to be at the trouble of looking into Stow as he is continued by A. Munday, about the building of Aldgate, where you will find the description of a Roman coin that was found in digging the foundation; which Mr. Martin Bond, one of the surveyors of that work, caused to be carved in stone, and fixed on either side of the gate eastward. This was done in the year 1607, when he laid the foundation stone. By which you may perceive that Mr. Bond took his hint from those done in plaister on the fronts of houses.

"In Aldersgate Street, likewise, just against St. Paul's Alley, in the front of a brick house is set in a nitch in the upper story of the house, (to be seen by all paffengers,) the figure

of