who often came into this island to purchase the like goods. Whence I am apt to conjecture, that the name or the lane hath been continued ever since the times of the Romans, and that the names of some other lanes and streets, as Cornhill, Grace Street, the Querne, Broad Street, Watling Street, and perhaps Old Fish Street, &c. are of equal antiquity, and were so called from the same kind of accidents. The curiosity I am speaking of is a brick, found about forty years since, twenty-eight foot deep below the pavement, by Mr. Stockley, as he was digging the foundation of an house that he built for Mr. Wolley. Near to this place were dug up many quarters of wheat burnt very black, but yet sound; which were conjectured to have lain buried ever since the burning of this city about eight hundred years before. This brick is of a Roman make, and was a key-brick to the arch where the corn was found. It is made of a curious red clay, and in bass relief, on the front hath the figure of Sampson putting fire to the foxes tails, and driving them into a field of It seems to be the same story that is mentioned in Scripture of destroying the Philistines corn, from whence came the fable of Hercules to be the guardian of their corn stores, or granaries: as they had their peculiar deities for all domestic affairs in or near their houses and camps, as Priapus was the protector of their gardens, &c. not to mention many other household gods of several names and uses. corn. "The brick is at this time preserved in the museum belonging to the Royal Society in Fleet Street. I at the same time must not forget to acquaint you, that the late ingenious Richard Waller, Esq. (whose death is much lamented by the virtuosos) communicated to me the following account of the measure of it, as it was exactly taken, viz. On the picture or largest face On the other or reverse side fbroad 4. Inches. long long At the same time Mr. Waller observed to me in his letter, that the proportions in the bass relieve are so very fine, that it is plain from thence, that it cannot be a work of the bass empire; "but then," says he "how the story of Sampson should be known to the Romans, much less to the Britons, so early after the time of the propagation of the gospel, seems to be a great doubt; except it should be said that some Jews after the final destruction of Jerusalem should wander into Britain, and London, being even in Cæsar's time a port or trading city, they might settle here, and in the arch of their own granary record the famous story of their delivery from their captivity under the Philistines. Be that as it will, the thing is very curious, and it is plain by the impressions that it was made by a mould or stamp; so that doubtless there were many of the same made." "I beg leave in the next place to observe, that London was encompassed with a wall in the time of Constantine the Great, and that part thereof adjoining to the postern near the Tower, built of stone and some layers of Roman brick, was of late within a few years destroyed and pulled down to make way for new houses, by Mr. Mount, a stationer, who liveth near the same. This wall ran directly through part of the Tower; so that one part thereof was in Middlesex, and the other within the liberty of the city. We need not doubt that William the Conqueror built about this ancient site of the Romans, on purpose to keep the city in awe, and it hath since been greatly increased by the kings of England, being formerly accounted one of the strongest castles in the kingdom. "As for the ancient gates of the city, there were but three at first next the land: 1. Aldgate, or Oldgate, leading into the east parts, as Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, &c. dersgate, leading into the north parts. 3. Ledgate, now Ludgate, (that story of king Lud is fictitious, I am afraid} leading to the western roads of this kingdom. "The Roman military way, as I before observed, came directly from the Tower in a straight line to Ludgate, and so turned up by the Gate . . . . through a passage formerly called Bower Row, into a Street now called Gilt-spur Street, and afterwards through that place called the Wilderness, for merly 源 merly belonging to the Carthusians, directly pointing and leading into Old Street, and so to Old Ford, and from thence away to Waltham Stow or Stone. "The two other gate-ways led to the old military way, which we now call Old Street, being the most ancient street remaining about London. That highway which leads from Aldersgate to Islington, has been made sometime since the Conquest, and, I believe, much about the same time that the ground was taken in for building the Carthusian monastery (now called the Charter House) by Sir Walter de Maney. Not that this society was alone made happy by so prudent a choice. For many of our ancient kings and nobility took delight in the situation of the old Roman buildings, which were always very fine and pleasant, the Romans being very circumspect in regard of their settlements, having always an eye to some river, spring, wood, &c. for the convenience of life, particularly in wholesome air. And this, no doubt, occasioned the old monks, knights-templers, and after them the knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, as also the friars, to settle in most of the Roman buildings, as well private as public; which thing, if duly considered, will be found to be a main reason, why we have so few remains of them. "No one can reasonably contradict what is here offered on behalf of the Romans, and of their settlements being afterwards possessed and greedily sought after by such as succeeded them when they left the isle, if he does but consider that the Roman souldiers were, in a great measure, the founders of cities and towns, that a garrison of them were the bulwark of the Britains, and that wherever they settled, they erected such magnificent edifices, and such stupendous structures, that the reliques and ruins of them which remain at this time, oblige the spectators to admire the same, and common people are tempted to say, "These Roman works were erected by giants." "But the Romans did not employ themselves only in works of this nature. They were also the drainers of meers, and where the valleys were low, they cast up banks, which in some places are so fenced and paved with stone, that they seem beyond credit. For all the causeways of note at this time throughout the kingdom, were made by the old Romans, as may be seen in Cambden. "This gives me occasion to observe, that the Romans had large vacant places within this city, where their temples and other public buildings were erected, besides their private dwelling houses, which were all built by their legionary souldiers, who were chiefly mechanics, carpenters, smiths, joiners, &c. and many other of an inferior rank, such as potters, brickmakers, &c. and almost every other trade that is accounted necessary in building, or in cloathing the body, for defence against extremity both of cold and h. at. "We may then conclude, that the Romans having been settled some length of time from their first landing to the reign of Nero, had sufficient leisure to build, as well as to intermarry with the daughters of the Britains, and that they were therefore become, in a manner, one people, and consequently that it was their interest to promote the good and welfare of this city, by magnificent buildings, &c. What form their private houses were built in, I am not able to determine, having not met with any description of them. "And thus we are come to the times of that illustrious British heroine Boadicia, relict of Prasutagus,, king of the Iceni, a great and opulent prince, who at his death had left Nero his heir, hoping thereby to free his family from injustice. But the consequence proved different from what he intended. For she was by this the more exposed to the li centious humour of an all-powerful army. Upon which she confederates with the Trinobantes, and others not inured to servitude, and so they all unanimously agree together to resume their ancient liberty. Whereupon they first set upon the garrisons of the veteran soldiers, defeated the Ninth Legion, and put to the sword many thousand Romans and their associates that inhabited this city; after which they set the eity on fire in several places, before Suetonius governor of the province could rally his scattered troops. "Thus "Thus this glorious city was reduced to an heap of rubbish, and continued a great great while in a desolate condition, though many of the buildings were at length repaired, and there is no doubt but if the Romans had continued amongst us, they would have restored it to its former beauty, splendor, and magnificence. But when they deserted the isle, the Saxons came in, and it is very well known that they were not famous for architecture. Indeed, when the Normans settled amongst us, building with stone began to revive, and the city thereupon was continually adorned by the care not only of our kings and princes, but of other great and illustrious personages; but then what they did for it was sometimes suddenly effaced and destroyed by fire, which hath frequently happened in this great city, partly by accident, and partly by design, especially when a furious enemy hath appeared against it. "How much this city hath been raised may be supposed from a pavement found fifteen foot deep in Cheapside, above an hundred years since. But how much more hath it been advanced since the year 1666? "Having thus far endeavoured to give a succinct account of London as it was in the time of the Romans, from my own observation, (although far short of what we may reasonably conclude had been done by Leland,) I shall next take notice of some ancient customs, which had their original from the Romans. "First then, I have often thought, and am now fully persuaded, that the planting of vines in the adjacent parts about this city, was first of all began by the Romans, an industrious people, and famous for their skill in agriculture and gardening, as may appear from the rei agrariæ scriptores, as well as from Pliny, and other authors. We had a vineyard in East Smithfield, another in Hatton Garden, (which at this time is called Vine Street) and a third in Saint Giles's, in the Fields. Many places in the country bear the name of the Vineyard to this day, especially in the ancient monasteries, as Canterbury, Ely, Abbington, &c. which were left as such by the Romans. And though some may object |