Divifions or ten Soldiers in every Century to have been more especially charged with the Guard of the Vexillum of that Century, and thence call'd Vexillarius; this will make fixty Vexillarii in a Cohort, and fix hundred in a Le gion.

Roman
Camps.

Among incidental matters come also several curious Obfervations on the Roman Camps, particularly as to their Figure, which was fometimes oval, or even circular, as on the tops of Hills; alfo their Diversity for different occafions, viz. p.100. Eftiva, Hyberna, Manfiones, and Stativa. DiEmploy vers ufeful Remarks on the Employment of their ment of the Legions, viz. in building publick Works, with Legions. the manner wherein they were ftation'd for that purpose; and in what Order they sent out their p. 127. Detachments and Cohorts to work. On the anAncient cient Masonry, of which we have remarkable Masonry Particulars in Severus's Wall; which was fill'd

P.123.

Pavements

with large broad thin Stones fet edge-wife, and ufually not erect, but fomewhat obliquely, on which the running Mortar or Cement having been pour'd, bound the whole as firm as a Rock: and in Arthur's Oven, where the Stones are only laid level on each other, and hang faft together, without any Mortar, Cramps of Metal, P. 174. or other binding. On the ancient Pavement of Roman their military Ways, particularly of that near Antonine's Wall, which is very magnificent and beautiful; and in low watry places laid with 163 large Stones, in others with fmaller: or of that near the Wall of Severus, from which Mr. Horfey takes occafion to give a diftinction between the Pavement of the most ancient, and the later military Ways the first feeming to have been raifed higher with Sand, Gravel, and a mixture of Stone, and well trench'd on each fide,to By keep

3

Ala.

keep them dry; the latter to have been better
and more regularly paved, but not fo much
raised. Even Grammar and Criticifm are not p. 121
neglected by the Author; to which Head belong
the different Acceptations which he has noted of
divers Words: E. gr. Statio, which fometimes Statio.
fignify'd the Duty of a Soldier, fometimes the
Man himself on Guard, and fometimes the Place
where: or Vexillatio, which fometimes denoted p. 100.
a Body of Vexillari from the Auxiliaries of di-Vexillatio:
vers Legions, fometimes an Ala of Horfe, fome-
times a fingle Legion, and fometimes even a
Cohort of Auxiliaries: Or Ala, which fometimes P.97.
fignify'd the whole Body of auxiliary Forces,
fometimes only the Horfe; fometimes a Cohort
of Foot. The like, of the Words a vallo, ad val- p.115.
lum, Linea valli, and others. Alfo the Ety- p. 102.
mologies of divers English Words, as Chefters,
Graham's-dyke, Watling-street, &c. For the p. 173.
British Military Art, we have Specimens of it
in their Engagements with the Romans; parti-
cular at Cæfar's firft landing, and afterwards at
the River Stour; their fkirmishing with him
in his March; their manner of fighting in Cha-
riots, of feparating, re-joining, &c. Their Stra
tagems of reaping the Harveft except in one
Place, laying there in Ambush, and thus attack-
ing the Legions at Forrage: their Fortifications
of the River Thames, with fharp Stakes; and of
Caffivellaun's Town with thick Wood and a Lake.
We also meet with divers Reflections on Poli-Political
ticks as on the great Secrets and Succefs of the Reflexion.
Romans, in their usual Conduct of dividing the Roman
Princes and States whom they intended to fub-Conquefts
due; drawing fome into a Confederacy with to what
themselves, under a pretence of taking them owing.
into Protection, and affifting them against their P.6.

Neighbours.

Neighbours. Tacitus obferves, that nothing was of more ufe to the Romans against this strongeft and braveft of People, the Britons, than the want of Unity, and publick Councils. It was feldom that any two or three of their petty States concerted measures together for repelling the common Danger, fo while each would fight apart, they were all overcome*: How much this weakens a Country, appears further from what the Hibernian Prince, who fled to Julius Agricola, told him, that one Legion, with a few Auxiliaries, would be fufficient to reduce that whole Ifland +. We ourselves, adds Mr. Horsley, have feen the wonderful Succefs of fome later Attempts of a like nature; with how fmall a Force have the Europeans over-run great Tracts of Land, and conquer'd many Nations in America? What, in effect, could have animated fome hostile Powers to make later Invafions on our Country, with puny Forces, but this? How often has England, as terrible as fhe has fhewn herself when united, been won and loft with a handful of Men!

Hiftory For History and Antiquity, which were more English, immediately the Author's View, they have eter Sources of nal Obligations to him; for having fettled the

2

Laws and Measures of Credibility in hiftorical P. 1. matters with great delicacy; indicated the true Sources of the ancient Hiftory of our Ifland, and traced out the Bafis, or Lines of the first English History that can be depended on, agreeably to the most severe Rules, having every where gone to the Sources, viz. the cotemporary Writers +, examined these by Infcriptions

and

* Dum finguli pugnant, Univerfi vincuntur. Vit. Agric. C. 12. + Id. Vit. Agric. c. 24.

E. gr. Cæfar, for what paffed in his Time, with Tacitus,' Suetonius, and Dion Caffius; and for what paffed in the later Reigns, to Xiphiline, the Scriptores Hiftoriæ Augufta, Hero dian, Aurelius Victor, Eutropius, and Marcellinus.

.

and Books of Geography; and where these could not be had, endeavour'd to fupply the defect from fuch as are fuppofed to have had their Accounts from other more ancient Authors now loft without liftening to any authentick Stories of Monks, even of Beda himself; who, notwithstanding his Reputation for Learning and Probity, was excluded by his age from any ac quaintance with the Roman Affairs on his own knowledge; much lefs of modern Hiftorians, further than as what they fay is fupported by Claffick Authority, or deduc'd by proper reafoning therefrom. Add, that he has every where Quotation, punctually quoted his Authorities, a thing much neglected by the former Hiftorians, and has. even produc'd the original Paffages themselves in his Margin, which has been done by none.

For Antiquity he has treated it with good Senfe, which is to fay a great deal, confidering the manner in which that Subject has usually been handled. Thro' the whole, he has every where labour'd to clear and afcertain dubious points, having for that end not only studied and read, but travell'd, meafur'd, computed, rea fon'd, collected, invented, and, where every thing else fail'd, conjectur'd. By fuch means he has been able to rectify a great number of Errors, which Gambden, Gibfon, Echard, Slukely, Gordon, and others, by a lefs fcrupulous pro ceedure have fallen into. Who,for inftance, would not wonder, to find fuch Men as Uber, Burton, Buchanan and Dr. Smith, affert that the. Wall of Severus reach'd only to the Esk on the Weft, when the contrary is evident at fight? To conclude, p.130. Particularly Ptolemy, Antonine's Itinerary, and the Notitia Imperií.

NXVIL 1732.
VOL III

M m

we cannot deny Mr. Horfley the Honour of being learned, laborious, candid and affectionate to his Subject; and hence extremely follicitous to exhauft it. If he have been betray'd' by this! into a little Prolixity, and fometimes even into a Confufion, efpecially in his Defcription of the Walls, which he has labour'd more than the réft if we fometimes find Allufions to things fuppofed as known, before they come to be defcrib'd; fome Suppofitions, not clearly made out; and now and then a little Inadvertence in the Course of a long Deduction: it would be cruel almoft to mention/thefe of a Man who has fo good a Title to the benefit of Horace's Plea:

Ubi plura nitent in Carmine, non Ego paucis Offendar maculis

ARTICLE XXVII.

The prefent State of LEARNING.

D'curious

1

DANTZICK

R. Breynius has publish'd the following curious Effays, dedicated to the Prefident and Fellows of the Royal Society: Joannis Philippi Breynii, M. D. Academ. Imperial. Nat. Curiof & Societatis Regia Lond. Sodalis, Differ tatio Phyfica de Polythalamiis, nova Teftaceorum Claffe, cui quædam præmittunturi de Methodo Teftacea in Claffes & Genera diftribuendi. Huic adjicitur Commentatiuncula de Blemnitis Prufficis ; tandemque Schediafma de Ecbinis methodicè difponendis. Cum Figuris. In 4to.

Samuelis Friderici Willenbergii DV Juris & Hiftor. P. P. & Athenai Gedan. Inspectoris, de

Officio

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