18. +Latin of the First Period+ (ii).-- (_a_) The treatment of the Latin word +castra+ in this island has been both singular and significant. It has existed in this country for nearly nineteen hundred years; and it has always taken the colouring of the locality into whose soil it struck root. In the north and east of England it is sounded hard, and takes the form of +caster+, as in +Lancaster+, +Doncaster+, +Tadcaster+, and others. In the midland counties, it takes the softer form of +cester+, as in +Leicester+, +Towcester+; and in the extreme west and south, it takes the still softer form of +chester+, as in +Chester+, +Manchester+, +Winchester+, and others. It is worthy of notice that there are in Scotland no words ending in _caster_. Though the Romans had camps in Scotland, they do not seem to have been so important as to become the centres of towns. (_b_) The word +strata+ has also taken different forms in different parts of England. While +castra+ has always been a suffix, +strata+ shows itself constantly as a prefix. When the Romans came to this island, the country was impassable by man. There were no roads worthy of the name,-- what paths there were being merely foot-paths or bridle-tracks. One of the first things the Romans did was to drive a strongly built military road from +Richborough+, near Dover, to the river Dee, on which they formed a standing camp (+Castra stativa+) which to this day bears the name of +Chester+. This great road became the highway of all travellers from north to south,-- was known as “The Street,” and was called by the Saxons +Watling Street+. But this word +street+ also became a much-used prefix, and took the different forms of +strat+, +strad+, +stret+, and +streat+. All towns with such names are to be found on this or some other great Roman road. Thus we have +Stratford-on-Avon+, +Stratton+, +Stradbroke+, +Stretton+, +Stretford+ (near Manchester), and +Streatham+ (near London). --Over the other words we need not dwell so long. +Colonia+ we find in +Colne+, +Lincoln+, and others; +fossa+ in +Fossway+, +Fosbrooke+, and +Fosbridge+; +portus+, in +Portsmouth+, and +Bridport+; and +vallum+ in the words +wall+, +bailey+, and +bailiff+. The Normans called the two courts in front of their castles the inner and outer baileys; and the officer in charge of them was called the bailiff.