Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/438

chap. -xi. of Manchester. 4^ dition of Roman Britain was very imperfe&Iy known to the critics, and a mere community of nature or the fmalleft fimi- larityof name was therefore naturally thought a fufficient reafon for fuch a fuppofition* About fixty years ago the MSS. of Ra- vennas beirig found to exhibit the kindred appellation of Colonia Lindum, and both thefe reafbiis being united together, the hint teas eagerly caught by the antiquarians, and the fee of Adelphius has ever iince been authoritatively fixed at Lincoln ** But •he Lindum 'Colonia of Ravenrias and of Richard is certainly hot the Colonia Londinenflum of the Council. No authority of rhanufcripts permits ua with thefe critics to change Londinenfium into Lindinenfium. No proprieties of language allow us with thefe critics to deduce either Londinenfium or Lindinenfium from Lindum iar . And, if both the one and the other could be permitted, Littcoln fcould not pombly bethe fee of a bifluJprick* being ; &&Uaily Iti the lame province arid confeqiienfly in the lame <Hocefe with London. The genuine name is Civifas Colonia Londinenfium. And ^eihatfe no right to fiippofe a corruption .merely becayfe we rtiefctwirfi a difficulty. The fitfc of the colony my ft certainly be fought in a regioir of Britain remote from Lincolnfllire and in a province or diocefe diftinfr from Flavia. ' And a few ob- ffervatiofts will a&uafly lead us to it. • The fecond Augwftan legion, which was ftationed at Caerledn in Monmouthfhire, was equally Rationed .at JLondon. Th$ li'qad-qu alters Of the lfegibn, 611M ^ttlpd at Caerleofl, wfcte after-* Wards transferred to London. Hence in the laft century a fef pulchral infcription was difeovered upon the declivity of Lud-» gate-tujl addreffed to the meqpiocy : of one of thefe legionaries * And hence Augpfta, r |the legionary name of Cjierjeon at,firft # became ' earjy ifi the iourth century the liziQmw appellation pf London ' . At London the head-qvarter$ of the legion- .conti- nued for fome time ,r . And ^hlie the two or three principal cohorts that muft have compofed die colony continued ftationary gt it^hey might eafily acquire the appellation of Londinenfes, The legionaries might as naturally receive the title of Londi* F f f 2 nenfes