Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/265

 rORTION OF ENGLAND. 215 ^vay forwards through the Vale of Itclicn, ami took posses- sion of the Gwent, driving the original inhabitants before them, till they reached the boundaries of Hants, where still are to be traced the lielgic earthworks erected for their defence. The IJelga) had, however, to succumb to the Romans under Vespasian, Avho established themselves in all the native strongholds, especially at Winchester and all the chief places of the Gwent, changing the name, and Latinising it into Venta — thus Venta lielgarum, Venta Icenorum, Venta Silurum. We have only to look at any map in which the Roman roads are delineated to see what an important posi- tion Winchester must have held as a centre in Roman times of a network of Roman roads — one iireat road leadino- northward to Callcva, the great city of Silchester (whence London could be reached in one direction, and Cirencester, by the Ermine Street, in the other) ; one leading south- ward (whence came all the traffic from Gaul) to Clausentum, or Bittern, the ancient Southampton ; one leading west- ^vard to Salisbury and to Bath ; one leading south-east, in communication with Porchester and Chichester, while lesser lines lead off to Tachbury and Kingwood, to Lepe, to Rue Street in the Isle of Wight, to Carisbrook, and on to the coast. Upon the retirement of the Romans and the establishment of the Saxons, the}' in turn took possession of the great fortresses of the county. They settled at Venta Belgarum, converted again the Latin V. into the Saxon W.. called it AVintan, and, adding " ceaster " for capital, made it Wintan- ceaster, or the City of y" Winte, from which it derives its present name ; and the Saxon Winton still survives as the ecclesiastical appellation of its present bishops. Time would fail me to trace the various changes that have taken place since Wintan Ceaster became the capital of Wessex, and King K^'negils being converted to Christianity, in 635, founded the first Christian church upon a Roman temple of Apollo and a Saxon temple of Dagon. It is Avell known that here Egbert first gave the name of Anglia to his United Kingdom ; here Alfred reigned and rests; here Edgar (959) first established Winchester measure as a standard for his dominions ; and Canute here hung up before the altar the crown which he refused to wear, after the well-known rebuko