To the Right Honourable Henry Earl of Arlington, Viscount Thetford, Baron Arlington, of Arlington, Lord Chamberlain, &c.
- My Lord,
It being your pleasure to intimate, when I had first the honour to wait on your Lordship, that you would gladly know somewhat of the ancient Sitomagus, now Thetford, near your magnificent seat at Euston, I thought it my duty to interpret your Lordship’s desire as no less than a command, that I should search not only the ancient but modern writers, concerning it, and then to give your Lordship the best account I could.
Not, therefore, to trouble your Lordship with the fopperies of annius Viterbiensis,[1] and, out of him, of Count Palatine, White of Busingstoke,[2] that not only the towns here in Britain ending in magus or magum, but all those also of the same termination beyond the seas, were so denominated by I know not what Magus, the second king of the Celta, son of Samothes, who, forsooth, first taught this western part of the world to build them houses and cities, which might deservedly, therefore, receive their names from him.
Nor grouudlessly with Isacius Pontanus, to run up so high as the first ages of the world, and derive it from the Hebrew magon,? which (says he) signifies habitationem vel habitationis locum, or with Goropius Becanus? and Skinner," to fetch it from the German mat, whence the word machen, facere, and whence the things made were called magen, all which seems to refer to the building of houses; with whom agrees Beatus Rhenanus, “ Wagum, priscis Gallis, domum significasse.”*
To avoid and pass by, I say, all such trifling etymologies, and pro- ceed upon surer grounds than such mere fancies of the brain, without foundation in the things themselves, I thought fit, my Lord, to search out all, or most of, the cities and towns, as well in the neighbouring nations to us, as here at home, whose ancient names did terminate in magus or magum, and then consider their antiquities, situations, whether fortified or no, their initial differential titles, preceding the common one of magus, and other accidents attending, from which I thought might be raised much more probable conjectures.
First then for the cities whose ancient names did terminate in magus, I find in and about
GERMANY.
Noviomagus Batavorum, now Pueumagen, in Gelderland.
Noviomagus Trevirorum, now Picumagen.
Noviomagus Necetum, now Spier, or Mldendeim, in the Palatinate.
Marcomagus, now Piiren, between Triers and Cologne.
Rigomagus, now Fimagen. LLoydo. Fine.
Durnomagus, now Oursmagen.
Drusomagus, now Kempten. Ptolom. Jemmigen.
Juliomagus, now Piullendoré Rhenano.
Brivomagus, Stucomat Rhenano, near Strasburgh.
Gorop.BecaniGallicor. lib. i. p. 21.
- In Etymologico Onomastico, in
Viti Basingstochij Hist. Brit- Verbo.
tan. N. 19. ?Beati Rhenani Rerum Germanica-
® Tsacij Pontani Gloss. Prisco-Gallic. rum lib. iii. cap. Mogunciacum.
in Verbo.
