An Account Of A Roman Inscription, Found At Chichester,

But as the power of the Romans extended itself , it carried the arts of that great people along with it , and improved the nations that it subdued , by civilizing and teaching them the use of whatever was necessary or advantageous among

their conquerors , from which most wise and generous disposition , among other beneficial institutions , we find these Collegia to have been established in every part of the Empire , from the frequent mention . of them in the inscriptions collected by Grutcr , Spon and other antiquaries .

Several sorts of workmen were included under the name of Fabri , particularly all those that were concerned in any kind of building , whence we meet with the Fabri Ferrarii , Lignarii ; Tignarii , Materiarii , A ' amies , and

others ; the last named may have been the authors dedicating this temple to Neptune , having , so near a relation to the sea from which the city of Chichester is at so small a distance , that perhaps that arm of it which still comes

up within two miles of its walls , might formerly have washed them . The rest of the fraternity might very well pay the same devotion to Minerva , the goddess of all arts and sciences , and patroness of the Daedalian profession .

As no less than five letters are wanting at the beginning of the sixth line , there cannot be fewer lost at the beginning of the seventh where the stone is more broke away than above ; so that probably there were six when it was

perfect . What Ave ha \ r e left of them is only the top of an S ; I Avill not therefore take upon me to affirm anything as to the reading of them , Avhich is so entirely defaced ; perhaps it AA-as A . SACii . s . —a sacris sunt ; perhaps it Avas HOJJOE .

s . —Honorati sunt . As to the former , we find these Collegia had their Sacevdotes , therefore Qui a sacris sunt , which is found in inscriptions , * would be no improper term to express them ; or it might have been SACEE . S . sacmlotes

sunt , since Ave find such mentioned in the following inscriptions . * MAVOBTI SACEVM HOC SIGNVM KESTIT COLL . EABK . AUI CDTOEViAI ANTIQVISS . AT 5 TVSTATE

DILAPSVJI ET EEFECEE . CVE . L . LVCILIVS LATINVS PEOC . E . P . AEIC . ET T . SEXTIVS MAGGIVS SACEK . COLL . EIVSD . Mawrti sacrum hoc Signum

rcstituit Collegium Falrorum Aricinorum Antiquissimum , reinstate dilapsum , el refeeerunt . Curabant Lucius Lucilius Latinus , Procurator Beipuhlicm Ariconorum , et Titus Scxtius Maggiv . s Sacerdos Collegii cjusdem

f L . TEBTENI AMANTI SACEE . COLL . LOTOEVAI IIVIE . C . SAETIVS C . P . ITEEINVS ET L . ALLIVS PETELINA S D . T ) .

Lucius Tertenius Amantius Sacerdos Collegii Lotorum , Duumviri Cains Sartius , Caii Filiits , Itcrinus , et Lucius Allius Petclinus Declicavencnt . As to the latter , those members of

the College that had passed through the chief offices of it , as that of Prmfectus or Magister quinqicennalis , had the title of HONOKATI conferred upon them . You haA r e several of these IIONOKATI mentioned in Grutcrparticularly a long

, catalogue of them in Collegia I'hbrorum Tignariorum , p . eclxviii . 1 ., and in Reiuesius ' s Syntagma , l there is an inscription . EPAGATHO TVIiANNO IIONOEATO COLLEGI

FABEA iAI T 1 GNAEIOEVM EOMANENSIVM & C So that the vacuity in our inscription may very Avell have been filled up Avith one or other of these words , and the