Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/72

Chip. II. OF BfANCflESTER. 47 reft, but appropriated entirely to the offices of publick devotion. This muft have been near to the great pavilion of the com- mander and the great ftandard of the garrifon, the latter being always planted cloie to the former Near to both was regu- larly a temple or chapel in every ftation. And in it feveral altars were ereded and religious rites performed But in every ftation private altars were occafionally raifed a& private gratitude for pail or private fupplication for future fa- vours dire&ed. Thcfe feem never to have been ere&ed within the area of the ftation. There was never any room for fuch ereftions within* They were fixed without, and in fuch places as fency or convenience recommended. But of thefe, or of fuch as flood within the temple, only one has been discovered at Mancunium And that has a curious infeription upon the plane of it, which may be feen in the an-> nexed plate* It was ere&ed, as the infcriptioix witnefles, by Lucius Seaeeianius Martius, a centurion of the forth legion, and of that particular brigade in it which for its gallantry was fur- named the Vi&orious, which pafled over from Germany to Bri- tain about the year x zo % and which marched into Scotland before 140 '• The route which this legionary brigade muft neceflarfly have* taken into Scotland from the fouth was either by London to Lincoln York and Binchefter on the eaft, or by London ta Litchfield Manchefter and Penrith on the weft. Thefe were the only roads which the Romans then had into the north *. And by thefe the legionaries muft have marched in feveral divifions. The garrifons of the larger ftations muft otherwise have been diftrefled, and the garrifons of the fmaller muft have been ren- dered utterly unable, to afford them the requifite quarters* And while one of the divifions perhaps halted at Mancunium, a cen- turion of the corps took the opportunity of ere&ing this altar. Such I apprehend to be a&ually the date of the altar, more antient perhaps than any other altar, more antient almoft than any other monument, in the whole compafs of Roman Britain.. And to. fo high a date every circumftance in the infeription per- fe£tly