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Cicero from Britain, which are exceedingly valuable in assisting to fix the exact period of the great conqueror's sojourn here, to which so much interest has of late attached.
That the Romans on their conquest of the island would neglect a position strong by nature, and so conveniently situated for communication with their province of Gaul, is highly improbable, and the embankment on the East Hill, rudely thrown up by the Britons in the first instance, may owe its height and mathematical exactness to its adaptation by the invaders for the purpose of their own defence.[1] A Roman gold coin, either of Theodosius Magnus, who commanded in these parts in 379, and died in 395, or of his son, -
- ↑ Indeed , this Eastern embankment speaks for itself : the western limit of the Roman Camp which Mr. SHARPE looks for in vain , is, I fancy, clearly marked by a great fall in the ground all across the hill, parallel to and about 1100 feet distant from the first embankment; while the northern side of the Camp is well defined by an artificial escarpment of the hill side. The breadth of the plateau averages 550 feet, giving an area of605,000 sq. feet. From POLYBIUS we learn that a Roman army of 4 legions, that is 16 ,800 foot and 1800 horse, would occupy a Camp whose area would be about 4 ,410,000 sq. feet. Our Camp on the East Hill, in its present state, would be rather less than one seventh of the above area , and would accommodate about 3000 men , which was about the size of a legion in Caesar's time: there is even now a considerable breadth of the cliff existing which I have not taken into account, that at some time or other must have slipped downwards, and forms a gap or undercliff between the Cliff and the sea . How much more has been gradually worn away by the sea's action , can only be matter of conjecture ; it is enough that the present remains indicate a camp at least large enough for one legion - -and it is not probable that more than one legion would be quartered in the same spot. The rectangular enclosure in the centre of the East Hill has an area of little more than 40,000 sq . feet, or only about the hundredth part of POLYBIUS' Camp, and though it may have been thrown up for purposes of defence, yet seems far too small for any legionary encampment. I think, therefore, that Mr. SHARPE is mistaken in imagining it to have anything to do with the Romans. Moreover our Records state it to have been the churchyard of St.George's church , the whole hill having been known as St.George's Hill, and the right of way to the Hill being due to its having been the high road to the Church. The garden is still attached to the living of St. Clements, and on its southern side a few stones and a portion of the wall still mark the site of the Church ,which Moss,writing in 1824 , informs us,stood in a small field on the eastern hill; and that the last inconsiderable remains of it were levelled by the Rector many years ago. It would be very desirable that the foundation of the round tower discovered by Mr. Ross should be minutely examined , for the situation is so exactly adapted to the position the Romans usually chose for a pharos or lighthouse-- that I should not be surprised to find there, evidences of Roman workmanship.
