Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/83

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5 6 .THE HISTORY Book I. and then to have extended his conquefts beyond ft. And thefe he appears to have profecuted along the eaftern coaft of the Ifland as far as Invernefs. Hiftory, or Time the deftroyer of Hiftory, has been very un- juft to the memory of this gallant officer, and has fcarcely given us any intimation of his fignal victories. Put that Lollius gained confiderable advantages ov6r the northern Britons, is plainly evinced by the teftimony of Richard, who exprefsly mentions the glories that he gained by his vi&ories ip Britain, ' and by the concurrent teftimony of Capitolinus, who fays that he conquered the Britons ' Thefe vi&ories alfb were ^fteemed fb important and honourable by Antoninus, that he aflumed

  • he name of Britannicus upon his coins ,$ . And- that .Lollius

extended his conquefts to Invernefs, may be eafily ftiewh./ He only to the days of Ptolemy can be fuppofed to have pafled the,. limits of Agricola's conquefts, and to have fixed a garrifon at Invernefs. And he did it; a Roman ftation being actually there'.' in the days of Ptolemy, and exprefsly mentioned by him ,iwcter_ the name of nrtpiijov XrpuloTrt&w or the winged camp. Thjit ' this is Invernefs, the Geography of Ptolemy more darkly fug- , gefted. x % and the Itinerary of Richard moft clearly evinces ,7 . Anji here, as. at the utmoft boundary of the Roman empire ai*d v the moft northerly point of acceffibk ground, Ptolemy or ibme of the Roman officers made the aftronomical obfervation which he has given us in the Second chapter of his eighth book. j To Lollius the Romans owed the fubje&ion of moft of the , countries beyond the friths, and Ptolemy the opportunity of having an aftronomical obfervation made at Invernefs. To Lollius the Romans owed the continuation of their military roads from the former to the latter, and we the Itinerary which meafires . thofe roads and which Richard fo happily preferved. And in thi§ Itinerary Lollius has left an ufeful monument to pofterity ; ufe- . ful to the memory of his own a&ions, which it has been the means of refcuing from oblivion and of which it will be now a^ perpetual record, and very ufeful to the antiquarian critick. The , very difcovery of a new Itinerary would have been of confider- . . able