TAVERNS, THE THREE (T pies Taglovat ; Vulg. Tres Taberna). The name of a small place on the Appian Way, mentioned Acts xxviii. 15. The word rafilpva is plainly the Latin taberna in Greek letters, and denotes a house made with boards or planks, quasi hyaena. Wooden houses, huts, etc., are called tabemw (Hor. Caron. L 49 13). Hence the word also means shops, as distin guished from dwelling-houses. Horace uses it for a bookseller's shop (Sat. i. 4. 71), and for a wine shop (Ep. L 14. 24). The shops at Pompeii are booths, connected in almost every case with dwell ings behind, as they were in London three centuries ago. When eatables or drinkables were sold in a Roman shop, it was called taberna, tavern, victual ling-house. The place or village called Three Taverns' probably therefore derived its name from three large inns, or eating-houses, for the refresh ment of travellers passing to and from Rome. Zo simus calls it Tpdt icar27Xcia (ii. zo). Appii Forum appears to have been such another place. Homce mentions the latter in describing his journey from Rome to Brundusium, as differtum nautis, cau ponibus atque malignis' (Sat. i. s. 3). That the Three Taverns was nearer Rome than Appii Forum, appears from the conclusion of one of Cicero's letters to Atticus (ii. zo), which, when he is travel
ling south-eastwards from Antium to his seat near Formim, he dates Ab Appii Foro, hora quarte —from Appii Forum, at the fourth hour ; and adds, Dederam aliam paulo ante, Tribus Tabemis' —I wrote you another, a little while ago, from the Three Taverns. Grotius observes that there were many places in the Roman empire at this time which had the names of Forum and Tabernm, the former from having markets of all kinds of com modities, the latter from furnishing wine and eat ables. The Itinerary of Antoninus places Appii Forum at forty-three Roman miles from Rome, and the Three Taverns at thirty-three. The place still remains, and is called Tre Taverne. The Roman Christians went in token of respect to meet St. Paul at these places, having been probably ap prised of his approach by letters or express from Puteoli (Acts XXVIii. 13- I5)—one party of them resting at the Three Taverns, and the other going on to Appii Forum. When the apostle saw this unequivocal token of respect and zeal, he took fresh courage. In the 4th century there was a bishop of Three Taverns, named Felix (Optatus, lib. i.)—J. F. D.