An Account Of A Roman Inscription, Found At Chichester,

three next letters that MIOAV them p . S . D . de suo dedicaventnt , Avill agree with either of them , and Avhat precedes tliem . The last line has been PVDENTE

FTOENTINI FILIO ; but there must have been a letter or two of the Prcenomcn at the beginning of it , unless it was shorter than the rest at that , as well as at the latter end of it ; and from Avhat I have said the Avhole may be read as folloAvs .

pfeptnnn and Minervce Tcmplum pro Salute Domus Divincc , ex Auctoritate Tibtirii G'laudii Gogiclubni Begis , Legati Augusti in Bnttannid , Collegium Fabrorum , and Qui in es a sacris [ or ] Pfonorati sunt , De suo Dedici verunt , Donante aream Pudente Pudcntini Filio .

Chichester , by this inscription found at it , must haA r e been a toAvn of eminence very soon after the Romans had settled here , and in process of time seems to have been much frequented , by the Roman roads still visible , that

terminate here from Portsmouth , Midhurst and Arundel , though , what is very strange , Ave have no Roman name UOAV knoAvn for it . I once thought it might have put in its claim for Anderida , Avhich our Antiquaries have not yet

agreed to fix anywhere , being situated very near both to the Sylva Anderida , and the southern coast of the Island , the tAvo properties of that city . * But Henry of Huntingdon , Avho lived in the time of Henry IL , telling us , that the

Saxons so destroyed Andredecester , that Nunquampostea recedificataftdt , and locus tantum quasi nobilissimceurbis transeuniibus ostendiiur desolatiis , -f it could not be Chichester ; for that Avas not onlrebuilt before his timebut Avas

y , a place of such note , that Avhen the Bishops soon after the Conquest , ! removed their churches from small decayed toAvns , Avhere several of them

An Account Of A Roman Inscription, Found At Chichester,

Avere then seated , in Urbes Celebriorcs , Stigand then bishop of Selsey settled his episcopal chair at that place . I shall conclude with observing , that when this inscription Avas dug up , there were also two Avails of stone discovered

close by it , three feet thick each , one running north , the other east , and joining in an angle , as the North-street and St . Martin ' s-lane now turn , which in all probability were part of the foundations of the temple mentioned on the marble . Octob . 31 , 1723 .

Vanitas Vanitatum.

VANITAS VANITATUM .

What a rum world wo live in , what strange sights we see , In this I feel sure , young and old will agree , For in much we behold in our world every day , 'Tis " Vanitas Vanitatuin " in every way . Youth thinks now that all here is pleasant and true , Yet youth will one day learn what 'tis here to rue , For when youth it is faded and the music is still , 'Tis " Vanitas Vanitatum '' lagging up the steep hill .

How vain we oft are of ourselves ever here , How oft do the accents of love disappear , As vain of our name , or vain of our race , AVe greet "Vanitas Vanitatum " in many a place . The hero who thinks that he surely must win , The corpiette with her charms all alive to begin , With the old married man has oft sadly to say

'Tis " Vanitas Vanitatum " in each angel to day . Have you seen a young beau with his bouquet so trim ? Or that fairy capricious -with each wonderful whim ? Or the charming new bonnet , or coifiiere appear ? " Vanitas Vanitatum " we know to be near . And some people are vain of such different things , Orlando is vain , when his Beatrix sings . The mother is vain of her daughters so fair , " Vanitas Vanitatum " resides in our square .

And some are so vain you can't hold them in , The clever and stupid , the fat and the thin ; Yet when a young donkey commences to bray , AVe say , " Vanitas Vanitatum " is over the way . So vanity still as you see rules the roast . Abroad and at home both in city and coast . And as this Life ' s record our thoughts must engage ,

" Vanitas Vanitatum " marks every page . And thus our old world wends on its queer way , Honestfolksoftgo down , and great rogues gain the day ; Yet when the old ship gets to harbour at last , " Vanitas Vanitatum " is over and past . For then all is ended—the sin , and the wrong , The farce and the folly , the sigh and the tsoug , And ta that tmev country , in that l ' a ' irer day , " Vanitas Vanitatum" has vanished away .