CAERWENT,
on the western side, through the broken fragments of its walls, of which one immense mass has recently fallen. This ancient town is now a village, with a few scattered cottages, but was formerly celebrated, under the auspices of Agricola, for its temples, theatre, porticoes, and baths; few vestiges of its former splendour are now extant. A few fragments of loose stones only remain to point out its former extent. In an orchard, adjoining a farm-house belonging to Mr. Lewis, is the beautiful tesselated Roman pavement, discovered in the year 1777. The tesseræ or dies, about an inch in breadth, and half in depth, are nearly square, consisting of four colours, red, yellow, blue, and white, [25] which are still in great preservation; the whole is surrounded with a border, much resembling a Turkey carpet. The daily depredations on these curious remains of antiquity are greatly to be lamented.
In the road from Caerwent, amongst other objects for admiration, the mansion of Sir Robert Salusbury, on the left, commanding an extensive view, attracted our notice. Passing through the neat village of Christchurch, animated with white-washed cottages, and graced with its simple church, which stands on an eminence, we left the turnpike-road at the thirteenth mile-stone; and following a footpath through some fields, near the banks of the Usk, soon entered the ancient city of Caerleon.
CAERLEON
has been celebrated in all ages of British History. It was a Roman city of great power, strength, and importance, under the name of Isca Silurum, and their chief station in the country of the Silures; and equally, and perhaps still more known, for having been King Arthur’s seat of government: a prince, equally renowned in history, chivalry, and poetry. This city was formerly a metropolitan see, but Saint David, the national saint of Wales, thinking the noisy intercourse of a populous city, like Caerleon, ill adapted for contemplation, or the solitary cast of his mind, removed it to Minevia, which from that period has been called Ty Dewi by the Welsh, and Saint David by the English. [26] The remains of its ancient grandeur are still discernible. Whilst tracing the extent of its amphitheatre, surrounded by a circular entrenchment, we took a retrospect on the exertions of man, the fate of kingdoms, and of rulers; and, marking the grand destruction of ages, it seemed to convince us of the transientness of human worth and happiness!
Reascending Christ-church hill, we had a fine view of the county of Monmouth like a map beneath us. Near