Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/51

 3* THE HISTORY Book I. its pofition on the northern bank of a river, and by its gentle declivity to the fouth or its collateral points, would give the Romans the whole undiminished reflected warmth of our Bri- tifh funs *. On thefe united, reafbns Agricola muft have firft lodged a gar- rifon in Mancenion, in order to fecure the new-taken fortrefe and to awe the neighbouring Britons from it, while he ad- vanced into the center of the county with the reft of his forces* On thefe united reafbns Agricola muft have afterwards com- manded a regular ftation to be conftru&ed upon the Britifh Man* cenion, when the fuccefsful campaign was terminated, and the Siftuntii and their allies fubdued. The Roman garrifon of Mancenion muft have begun the con- struction of their ftation dn the autumn of 79. The compafs of diers allotted to the bufinefs muft have left their fliields and tfieir knapfacks in the center of the area and in circles about their refpe&ive ftandards, and have repaired in centuries to the jpofts which the praefe&us affigned. And the reft of the garrifoa muft have been ftationed at the extremities -of the field, to de- fend the labourers and themfelves *•. . Adopting the Britiih mode of building without the Britifh tteceffity. for it, the Romans founded their vallum as the Britons Jiad previoufly founded their hovels, upon paving-ftones bedded in the primitive cement of clay. This I difeerned on making iuci- fions into the ftationary wall in two different parts of it. I cut down the wail from the jfor face to the center and from the cen- within and below.; and I found all the lime-laid parts of the wall in both riling from two courfes of paving-ftones cemented with clay. And the fame extraordinary procefs in building has been dif covered in other walls of the Romans. At the Roman town -of Boroughfield on the Fofle in Leicefterfhire, have been di£ covered the foundations of walls that were ftones fet edgewiffe in clay, and that had had a ftrudture of lime-mortar upon them. j&Jt the Roman ftation of Aldborough in Yorkfhire, the walls of the
 * he intended fort being marked out by the metator, the fol-
 * er to the bafe, in order <to fee the curious conftru&iom of it