CAPUT VII.
Our author calls these, Iters of his Diaphragmata, from their similitude to the animal midriff, passing through the body from side to side.
Rhutupis colonia, Sandwich, Richborough and Stonar castle, Kent, is the first city, says our author, in the island of Britain, towards Gaul; situate among the Cantii, opposite to Gessoriagum, the port of Bononia, Boloign. Hence is the most commodious passage of CCCCL. stadia, or, as others will have it, XLVI. miles.
From that city Rhutupium, says he, is drawn the Roman way called Guithlin-street, quite to Segontium, Caernarvon, through the space of CCCXXIV. miles, or thereabouts. Thus,
To Cantiopolis, which is also called Durobernum, stipendiaria, Canterbury, Kent, X. miles.
Durosevum XII. Sittingburn, Kent.
XXV.
Duroprovis, stipendiaria, Rochester, Kent.
Thence, at XXVII. miles, it passes the Thames, and enters the province Flavia, and the city of Londinium Augusta, London. Thence
IX.
To Sulloniagis, Suellaniacis, Edgeware, Middlesex.
XII.
Verolamium, municipium, Verlamcester, or St. Alban’s. Of this place were Amphibalus and Albanus, martyrs.
XII.
Forum Dianæ, Market street, near Dunstable, Hertfordshire.
XII.
Magiovinium, Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
XII.
Lactorodum, Stoney Stratford, Bucks.
XII.
Isannavaria, Isantavaria, Towcester, Northamptonshire.
XII.
Tripontium, Dowbridge, Stanford, Northamptonshire.
IX.
Benonis, Highcross, Cleycester, between Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Here the road is divided: the one branch, the Foss, goes to Lincoln; the other to Viriconium, Wroxeter, from Tripontium.
XII.
To Manduessedum, Mancester, near Atherston, Warwickshire.
XIII.
Etocetum Wall, by Litchfield, Chesterfield wall, Staffordshire.
XII.
Pennocrucium, by Penkridge, Staffordshire.
XII.
Uxoconium, Okenyate, Shropshire.
XI.
Virioconium, Wroxcester, Salop.
XXVI.
Banchorium, Bonium, Banchor, Flintshire.
X.
Deva colonia, leg. vices. victrix Cretica, Westchester; the border of Flavia and Secunda provinces.
XXX.
Varis, Bodvary by Denbigh on r. Clwyd.
XX.
Conovium, Aberconway, Carnarvonshire.
XXIV.
Seguntium, stipendiaria, Caernarvon.
Were I to recite all I have written upon this work, by way of comment, it would amount to a large volume; yet some few remarks I must make.
What all others call Durolenum our author names Durosevum, which I affix to Sittingburn, favouring this reading: the distance conformable.
Sulloniacis, or rather Suellaniacis, has its name from Suellan, or Cassibelin, who fought Cæsar. I place it at Edgware, which has its name from the agger, or high raised Roman way, Watling-street. Here was Cassibelin’s usual residence: his oppidum, or military town, which Cæsar stormed, was at Watford.
Forum Dianæ, a new name, was crouded into the roll of the original Itinerary, where the intermediate distance, XII. miles, between St. Alban’s and Dunstable, remained unaltered: therefore the transcriber repeated the same distance erroneously.
I doubt not, the place is what we now call Market-street, a little on this side Dunstable, upon the great road Watling-street. Here was a fane, and forum, or portico, sacred to Diana; where a panegyre, or fair, as we call it, was annually celebrated, to the honour of the goddess, by the lovers of hunting, on the great festival sacred to her, when stags were sacrificed: this was upon August 13, the hunters’ day, in the Roman kalendar.
I have no need to be ashamed in acknowledging an error incurred in my juvenile travels, when we knew nothing of this work of our author’s; for now I apprehend Durocobrivis is another name of a town near this place: the modern name of Redburn proves it, which means the same as Durocobrivis, the passage over the Redwater brook.
Rotten row, Rowend, Flamsted by Forum Dianæ, names importing high antiquity: Rotten row, just by Bremenium, Ruchester; again at Dorchester, Oxfordshire: they relate to panegyres, or fairs.
Manduessedum, Mancester, on each side the Watling-street, was walled about.
The vestigia of Benonis are at Claybrook.
Thus we have the whole length of the Watling-street, from Dover to Caernarvon.