But still here were two more great additions to the length of this city, and which stretched it out to an enormous bulk; the first northwards above the hill: it is called Newport, or the new city, 500 paces long. This I apprehend to have been done in the reign of the Saxon kings: it lies on both sides the Hermen-street, and was fenced with a wall and ditch hewn out of the rock: at the two farther corners were round towers and a gate, the foundations of which remain: there were several churches and religious houses in this place; and I suppose it was chiefly inhabited by Jews, who had settled here in great numbers, and grown rich by trade: there is a well still called Grantham’s well, from a child they ludicrously crucified and threw into that well. [Sidenote: 5.] [78] After the Norman conquest, when a great part of the first city was turned into a castle, I apprehend they added the last intake southward in the angle of the Witham, and made a new cut, called Sinsil dike, on the south and east side, for its security. The city then being of this huge compass, gave occasion for that prophecy, as they call it, and fancy to have been fulfilled in the year 1666: Lincoln _was_, London _is, and_ York _shall be The fairest city of the three_. It is observable that the Normans could not well pronounce _Lincoln_, but called it _Nichol_, as we find it in some old writers; and to this day a part of _swan_ pool is called _nichol_ pool: in some places of Lincolnshire the vulgar pronounce _little_, _nickle_, and some other words of that sort. Though this place is much declined since those times, yet of late it begins to flourish again very considerably. The meaning of _grecian_ stairs I suppose borrowed from the Normans, importing only stone steps (_grees_) as they appear at this day, a commodious descent from the minster yard. Within this two years, two new churches, large and fair, have been built at the charge of the inhabitants, and a great many handsome dwelling-houses: trades and manufactures too reflourish. [Illustration: 64·2ᵈ. +Roman Inscriptions+ I II D ~ M D·M·S G ~ VALERIVS ~ G ~ F ~ CADIOI GALERIA ~ VICTOR ~ NIAE~FOR LVGDVNI~SIG~LEG~II~AVG~ TVNA STP~XVII~ANNOR~XI.V.~ CV PIA~V~A XV RA~AGENT~AMNIO~PERPITVO~B _At Adel_ _at Caerlion_ III IV