Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/274

 Chap. VIII. OF MANCHESTER. 943 provincial taxes, and to fubftitute even the Roman in their ftead l In this general condition of our towns, fome were raifed above the common rank by the communication of the Jus Latii or the Latin privilege ". This was a privilege of exemption from the ordinary jurifdi&ion of the praetor * And, in confequence of it, the inhabitants of a Latin town were no longer governed by a foreign praefeft and a foreign quaeftor, but by a praefeft and a quaeftor ele&ed among themfelves ao . A Briton was their gover- nor, a Briton was their jufticiary, and a Briton was their tax- gatherer. And every inhabitant of fuch a town that had borne the offices of praetor or quaeftor was immediately entitled to the privileges of a Roman Citizen *'. Thefe rights the Romans firft communicated to the conquered Latins, and afterwards extended to all the conquered Italians. Caefar feems to have been the firft that ever carried them beyond the barriers of Italy and con- ferred them upon a provincial town. Novum Comum certainly and moft probably Nemaufis in Gaul received this diftin&ion from him, and were perhaps the firft provincial towns that re- ceived it ". And this was afterwards extended to feveral of our towns in Britain, to Durnomagus or Cafter near Peterborough, to Ptoroton or Invernefs, to Vi&oria or Perth, to Theodofia or c Dumbarton, to Lugubalia or Carlifle, to SorbiodunUm or Sa- lifbury, to Corinium or Cirencefter, to Catara&on or Catarick in Yorkfhire, to Cambodunum or Slack in Longwood, and to Coccium or Blackrode in our own county aj . Thefe were the names and thefe were the conftitutions of the towns which were inhabited principally by the Britons. But there were others which were principally poffeffed by the Ro- mans, and which had therefore a very different polity. Thefe were colonies and municipies. The commencement of the Roman colonies was nearly co- eval with the commencement of the Roman conquefts. But the firft that was planted in any of the provinces was proje&ed by the genius of the celebrated Caius Gracchus, and was 'fettled upon the fite of the celebrated Carthage z;. And others Were I i 2 planted