Archaic England : $b an essay in deciphering prehistory from megalithic monuments, earthworks, customs, coins, place-names, and faerie superstitionsBayley, Harold
History
Archaic England : $b an essay in deciphering prehistory from megalithic monuments, earthworks, customs, coins, place-names, and faerie superstitions
Bayley, Harold
Archaeology; England -- Antiquities
Apparently "Rotuna" was in some way identified in Italy with Britain, or
_natione Britto_, for according to Thomas an inscription was discovered
at Rome, near Santa Maria _Rotuna_, bearing in strange alphabetical
characters NATIONE BRITTO, somewhat analogous at first sight to Hebrew,
Greek, or Phoenician letters.[478]
From the plan it will be seen that the northern arm of the Rutupian rood
points directly to the high road, and Rutupiæ itself constitutes the
root or radical of the great main route leading directly through Rodau's
Town, and Rochester to London Stone. The arms of Rochester or
_Duro_brivum--where, as will be remembered, is a Troy Town--are St.
Andrew on his _roue_ Or _rota_.
[Illustration: FIG. 262.--Arms of Rochester.]
The name _Durobrivæ_ was also applied by the Romans to the Icenian town
of Caistor, where it is locally proverbial that,
Caister was a city when Norwich was none,
And Norwich was built of Caistor stone.
There is a second Caistor which the Romans termed Venta Icenorum: the
neighbouring modern Ancaster, the Romans entitled Causeimei. It is
always taken for granted that the numerous _chesters_, _casters_,
_cesters_ of this country are the survivors of some Roman _castra_ or
fort. Were this actually the case it is difficult to understand why the
Romans called Chester _Deva_, Ancaster _Causeimei_, Caistor _Durobrivæ_,
and Rochester _Durobrivum_: in any case the word _castra_ has to be
accounted for, and I think it will be found to be traceable to some
prehistoric Judgment Tree, Cause Tree, Case Tree, or Juge Tree. No one
knows exactly how "Zeus" was pronounced, but in any case it cannot have
been rigid, and in all probability the vocalisation varied from _juice_
to _sus_, and from _juge_ to _jack_ and _cock_.[479]
The rider of a race-horse is called a _jockey_, and the child in the
nursery is taught to
Ride a _cock_ horse to Banbury Cross
To see a white lady ride on a white horse.
An English CAC horse is illustrated on page 453, and the White Lady of
Banbury who careered to the music of her bells was very certainly the
Fairy Queen whom Thomas the Rhymer describes as follows: "Her Steed was
of the highest beauty and spirit, and at his mane hung thirty silver
bells and nine, which made music to the wind as she paced along. Her
saddle was of ivory, laid over with goldsmiths' work: her stirrups, her
dress, all corresponded with her extreme beauty and the magnificence of
her array. The fair huntress had her bow in hand, and her arrows at her
belt. She led three greyhounds in a leash, and three hounds of scent
followed her closely."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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