Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/394

Chap. X. OF MANCHESTER, 359 •light-coloured fpecies of flaky ftone, of which we have numerous Quarries in England, and which we ftill denominate by its Britiftl appellation of Sglatta or flate. This is that white ftone which Pliny mentions to be divided by the Celtae more cafily thane wood, and to be fawed by them into thin plates for tiles ls . This ftony foffil was firft divided into plates and fir ft applied as tiles within the northern regions of Gaul, was fo divided and fo applied among them very commonly in the firft century", and ftill retains among the French its Celtic denomination of Efclate or flate. And as this ufe of it muft have been introduced into* Britain from Gaul, fo it appears to have been adtually introduced during the period of the Roman ftay in the ifland. Some Ro- man buildings in Britain appear from the remains that have been found about them to have been actually covered with flatcs. And* thefe the Britons faftened to the roof* of their houfes- with naifo of iron, hooked, long, and large 16 . The windows* guinedeus, or feeing-ptaces in the Mancunian houfes muft have been generally compofed Of paper ,7 . Properljr prepared with oil, this forms no contemptible defence again ft the intrusions of the weather, and makes no contemptible open- ing for the admiflion of the light. This is ftill ufed by our architefta for the temporary windows of unfinilhe* houfes, an* is not infrequently ufed in the precin&s of Manchefter for the • regular windows- of our workshops. And this is even ufed far the houfes ©f many of the towns of Italy to the prefent mo ment. But fome of the principal houfes muft have been win<- dowed in a foperior manner. None of them however were fitted with glnfst No windows in Europe were formed of glafs at this period. The Romans the Britons of this period never once- thought of the feemingl)r obvious and certainty very agreeable application of this metal to windows. And that regularly lamii- nated and brightly tranfparent foflil. Lapis Specularis or Uingr .glafs r which was firft ufed in the windows of Rome about the .jrfeignof Auguftus I8 and became very common- before, the clofe «.*>f the firft: century x % was afluredly never introduced into the buildings of Britain, The fuperior windows of Mancuaiunst muft _*i