Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/488

Chap.XII. OF MANCHES T E R. 453 tegular feries of their encampments, deferted nearly ail the fta- tionary forts in the center of the illand and upon the weftern •coaft, and filed off to the eaftem (bore and the northern walL In the year 394 therefore the Romans broke up their long-con- tinued encampment, in the CafUe -field and upon the fite of the collegiate church and collegiate houfe at Manchcfter, the firft cohort of the Frifini, Frifiaci, or Frixagi marching away into the north % and finally leaving us juft three hundred and fifteen. years from the original fettlement of the Romans in the Caftle- field and the original erection of Mancunium. in the field of Aldport, about four hundred and fifty from the original con- ft ruction of Maiicenion, and about nine hundred from the origi- nal inhabitation of the parifh and the county. • As the Romans previoufly carried their arms into the medi- terranean parts of the ifland* they fecured their conquefts by at •fine of forts upon their northern border, to cut off the commu- nication; betwixt the conquered and the unconquered Britons,, and to prevent aay invafion of the country by the latter.. Thus* Oftorkis fortified the ifMimus betwixt the Sabriana or the Severne and the Amtona or the Nen, the Aufona of Richard, and the tfiver -of Northampton or North-anton, as South-ampton is de- nominated Qauf-entum by Richard and Antoninus, and: the greater river at Southampton is denominated Trif-anton' by Pto- lemy ; carrying a long chain of forts direftly from the one to the other . Thus a. iecond feries was drawn from the Eden to the Tyne, certainly before the reign of Hadrian,, and probably in: the days of Agricola 8 . And thus a third was conftru&ed cer- tainly by Agricola betwixt the friths of Forth and Cluyd -V Thefe lines of fortrefles the Romans laid out at their firft eonqueft of the country. And thefe lines they regularly conti- nued afterwards upon their peaceable fettlement in the provinces.. But as the Caledonians in the reigns of Trajan and of Hadrian had overrun Valentia and penetrated^ into Maxima I0 , pretty cer- tainly avoiding the frequent forts irr the narrow ifthmus betwixt the friths by crofltng.the Cluyd in their curroghs, and afterwards paffing; •