The Ruins of the Roman City of Uriconium, at Wroxeter, near ShrewsburyWright, Thomas
History
The Ruins of the Roman City of Uriconium, at Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury
Wright, Thomas
Romans -- England -- Wroxeter; Wroxeter (England) -- Antiquities, Roman
The third of these inscribed monuments was divided into three columns or
tables, commemorating three members of the family of a citizen of
Uriconium, named Deuccus. The inscription on the third column is
entirely erased, but the two others may be read as follows:
D. M D. M
PLACIDA DEVCCV
AN . LV S . AN . XV
CVR . AG CVR . AG
CONI . A RATRE
XXX
Another sepulchral stone, also preserved in the Library of Shrewsbury
School, was found in 1810, and bore an inscription commemorative of
Tiberius Claudius Terentius, a soldier of the cohort of Thracian cavalry,
which may be read as follows:—
TIB . CLAVD . TRE
NTIVS . EQ . COH
THRACVM . AN
ORVM . LVII. STIP
ENDIORVM
H . S.
In the excavations on the site of the cemetery, in the autumn of 1862, a
sepulchral stone was found, which had not improbably been placed over the
door of a sepulchral chamber of masonry. There had been a figure above,
the lower part of the legs and feet of which alone remain. The slab
bears the following inscription, which from the damage the stone has
sustained is very difficult to decipher, but I owe this reading to the
knowledge and acuteness of my friend Mr. Roach Smith. I may add that
some of the letters are extremely doubtful
AMINIVS . T . POL . F . A
NORVMXXXXVSTIPXXII . MIL . LEG.
IIGEM . MILITAVITAQNVNC HIC SII
LEGITE . ET . FELICES . VITA . FLVS . MINV
IVSTAVINIERAQVATIEGIIIE . INTV
TANARA . DITIS . VIVITE . DVMSPI . . .
VITAE . DAT . TEMPVS . HONESTE.
It is clear, at a glance, that the latter part of this inscription
contains three lines in hexameter verse; unfortunately they are the lines
most rubbed and most difficult to make out. Dr. Mc. Caul, president of
the University of Toronto, in Canada, in his recent work on
“Britanno-Romano Inscriptions,” suggests that they may be—
Perlegite et felices vitâ plus minus jutâ;
Omnibus æqua lege iter est ad Tænara Ditis.
Vivite, dum Stygius vitæ dat tempus, honeste.
The two last words of the first line are extremely doubtful, and I
confess that I do not believe in Dr. Mc Caul’s reading, which, of course
is but conjectural. The second does not appear at all to answer to what
remains of the original, with the exception of the last words Tænara
Ditis. But of the last line, Mr. Smith’s reading is much the best, and
indeed appears to me to be the correct one,—
Vivite, dum spatium vitæ dat tempus, honeste.
The part preceding the verses may be read—
Aminius (perhaps Flaminius), T_iti_ Pol_lioni_ F_ilius_, annorum
xxxxv., stip_endiorum_ xxii, mil_es_ leg_ionis_ vii g_e_m_inæ_.
Militavit aq_uilifer_. Nunc hic si_tus est_.
It may be remarked that in many respects this is one of the most curious
Roman inscriptions found in this island, and that it appears to be of
rather an early date.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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