which Leigh, in his ‘Natural History of Lancashire and Cheshire,’ explains thus—
JOVI OPTIMO MAXIMO TANARO
TITUS ELUPIUS GALERIUS
PRÆSENS GUBERNATOR
PRINCIBUS LEGIONIS VICESSIMÆ VICTRICIÆ VALERIÆ
COMMODO ET LATERANO CONSULIBUS,
VOTUM SOLVIT LUBENS MERITO.
In the year 1693, on the occasion of digging a place for a cellar in Eastgate-street, an altar was found buried amongst a great quantity of ashes, horns, and bones of several animals. On the back of the altar is represented a curtain with a festoon, over which is a globe surrounded with palm branches. On one side is a vase with two handles, from which issue acanthus leaves, supporting a basket of fruit; on the other side is a Genius with a Cornucopia in his left hand, and an altar on his right: on the top of the altar is a well sculptured human face within the Thuribulum.
This altar was found with the inscription downwards, and near it were two medals, one of Vespasian, the other is assigned to Constantius Chlorus, son-in-law of Maximian. The inscription, with restorations, runs thus:—
PRO . SAL . DOMIN
ORUM . NN . INVI
CTISSIMORVM
AVGG . GENIO . LOCI
FLAVIVS . LONGVS
TRIB . MIL . LEG . XX . VV
LONGINVS . FIL
EIVS . DOMO
SAMOSATA
V . S
Mr. Roach Smith says, “The persons who erected this altar were of Samosata, a town of Syria, celebrated as the birth-place of Lucian.”
In 1779 an altar was found in Watergate-street, which is still preserved in the grounds of Oulton Park, the seat of Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, Bart, M.P.: at the sides are the rod of Esculapius, the Cornucopiæ and rudder, a patera, urn, sacrificial knife, and other instruments. The inscription, with a few restorations, is as follows:—
FORTVNAE . REDVCI
ESCVLAP . ET . SALVTI . EIVS
LIBERT . ET . FAMILIA
CAII . PONTII . T . F . CAL . MAMILIANI
RVFI . ANTISTIANI . FVNINSVLANI
VETTONIANI . LEG . AVG
D . D
In the year 1821 a handsome altar was found by some labourers in a field called “The Daniels,” in Great Boughton, near Chester, between the Tarvin and Huntingdon roads: it is now preserved at Eaton Hall, the seat of the Marquis of Westminster. It is of red sandstone; the mouldings are bold, but it has no other ornaments upon it except the scrolls which support the Thuribulum. The inscription is the same on both sides, and is as follows:—
NYMPHIS
ET
FONTIBVS
LEG XX.
V V