Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/202

144 ON THE BELGIC DITCHES," successive lines of defence ^ — Combe-bank, Bokerlj-ditch, the ditch immediately north of Old Sarum, and Wansditch. Warton supposes there were no less than seven of these ditches. He does not enumerate them, but he probably added to Stukeley's four, the Griras-ditch south of Salis- bury, the ditches on Gussage Cow-down, which really apper- tained to the British post of Yindo-gladia, and the ditch which runs over Sahsbury plain to the north of Heytesbury. Neither Warton nor Stukeley point out the districts which they suppose to have been marked out b} means of these boundarj^-lines, and the proximity of the lines to each other, is adduced as a proof of the desperate resistance which the Belgae had to surmount before they could effect their con- quest. The resistance must have been desperate indeed, which contested the possession of a few miles of worthless down-land ; and the love of property equally strong, which could think such an acquisition worthy of being secured at the expense of so much labour. There can be little doubt, that the numbei" of these boundary-lines has been exaggerated not only by Warton, but even by Stukeley. It may be asked, what right have we to assume that the Belgse overspread the south of Britain, in successive waves of conquest, such as are pre-supposed in the hypothesis Ave are considering The only ground for such a hypothesis that I am aware of, is contained in Ctesar's statement, " maritima pars ab iis (incolitur) qui prsedce ac belli causa ex Belgio transierunt, qui omnes fere iis nominibus civitatum adpel- lantur quibus orti ex civitatibus eo pervenerunt, et hello inlato ibi remanserunt atque agros colere coeperunt." — B. G. 1. 4. It may, perhaps, be inferred from this passage, that there was a succession of predatory inroads, some of which were followed by Belgic settlements ; and when, in the dis- trict which we know to have been colonised by the Belgse, we find successive lines of boundary evidently made by a people inhabiting the sea-board, to separate themselves from the tribes of the interior, it may, I think, be admitted that the ' That these ditches might occasionally would require an organised body of men throw impediments in the way of a party to guard thcni, and the maintenance of of freebooters is very possible, but that such a force would be beyond the means they were mUitary lines of defence, like of races only impei-fectly civilised. The the Roman Walls in North Britain, or proper character of these ditches is clearly the Great Wall of China, is to the last that of boundary-lines. degree improbable. Such lines of defence