Itinerarium curiosum (centuria II) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain. To which is added, the Itinerary of Richard of Cirencester, monk of Westminster. With an account of that author and his workStukeley, William
History
Itinerarium curiosum (centuria II) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain. To which is added, the Itinerary of Richard of Cirencester, monk of Westminster. With an account of that author and his work
Stukeley, William
Great Britain -- Antiquities -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
Observe, the word _agger_ remains at Edgeware, the _Suellanacis_ of
our king Casvelhan, uncle to Mandubrace: it is the Roman road called
Watling-street. Egham by Stanes acknowledges the like derivation, being
upon the _via Trinobantica_ at Stanes, the _Ad Pontes_ of the Romans.
Many more like instances I could give.
These sort of temples were properly dedicated to the Divine Spirit, the
author of motion, which moved upon the face of the new-created matter,
as Moses writes, and were more particularly assigned to the religious
festivity celebrated at the summer solstice, when the pigeon was the
first and peculiar sacrifice of the season. I shall not speak more
about them here: but besides this temple, the Britons had a magnificent
_cursus_, or place for sports and races on foot, in chariots, on
horseback, when they celebrated their public sacrifices and religious
observances on the solstices and equinoxes.
These _cursus_’s were likewise made of mounds of earth thrown up in
two parallel lines: such a one is that at Leicester in the meadow
near the river; it is called _Rawdikes_, from the ancient name of the
city, _Ratæ_, capital of the _Coritani_; such another there is, called
_Dyke-hills_, in the meadow of Dorchester, Oxfordshire, where the Tame
and the Isis unite; _Dobuni_.
Exactly such another, belonging to our _Trinobantum_, is that we call
_Long-acre_, or _agger_; which, we may be confident, was originally
two parallel banks, the whole length of that street, and breadth: it
has the same gentle sweep, or curve, as those other _cursus_’s: it
then commanded a beautiful prospect over the present Covent-garden to
the Thames, and an extensive view, both upward and downward, of the
river, and into Surrey. The banks were designed for the spectators, and
admirably well adapted to the purpose.
So that we may justly conclude, Knave’s-acre was the proper temple to
the city of _Trinobantum_, and Long-acre their solemn place of races,
accompanying the religious celebrations of the ancient citizens here,
in the time of Cæsar. Long-acre is 1400 English feet in length, which
is exactly 800 Druid cubits, two furlongs of the east, two _stadia_.
Give me leave to mention my fancy or conjecture of the founder of this
alate temple and _cursus_, viz. ELI, father of Immanuence, and of
Casvelhan: there was his _tumulus_ on Windmill-street edge, at the end
of Piccadilly: a windmill was erected on it in after-times. From it
descends the street called Hedge-lane, from _agger_, the _tumulus_. I
suppose the name of _Piccadilly_ may be from its elevation, a Hybrid
word composed from _peak cad Eli_, the _tumulus ducis Eli_. _Cad_ is a
common name of the Welsh kings.
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