CAERLEON,* the Isca Silurum, Ism colonia, and Isca legionis secunthe of the Romans, is a small town in Monmouthshire, situated on the river Uske, which is crossed by a long wooden bridge. The numerous re mains of ancient splendour which have been found in this place ; the altars, pavements, statues, inscriptions, and coins, which have at different times been discovered, sufficiently shew that it was formerly a great Roman city ; while the bricks and tiles, with the inscription of LEG. II. AUG. prove it to have been a station of the second Au gustan legion of the Roman army. While the Romans remained in Britain, Caerleon was the seat of government for that division of the island, which was called Britan nia Secunda. In subsequent times it was the object of numerous contentions between the English and the Welsh, till it was finally possessed by the English, after the subjugation of the Welsh by Edward I. It continued long in the possession of the crown, but afterwards came into the family of Morgan of Lantarnon, and is at pre sent the property of Mr Blanning.
The description of this place by Gyraldus Cambren sis, who visited it in the 12th century, is particularly worthy of notice. " Many remains," says he, " of its former magnificence are still visible ; splendid palaces, which once emulated with their gilded roofs the gran deur of Rome,—for it was originally built by the Roman princes, and adorned with stately edifices,—a gigantic tower, numerous baths, ruins of temples, and a theatre, the walls of which are partly standing. Here we still sec, both within and without the walls, subterraneous buildings, aqueducts, vaulted caverns, and, what appear ed to me most remarkable, stoves so excellently con trived as to diffuse their heat through imperceptible pores." This description has been sufficiently confirm ed by the antiquities which have at different periods been discovered. The form of the place, as delineated by the remains of the dilapidated walls, appears to have been nearly a parallelogram with a circular end, including an area of 530 yards by 460. The present height of the parts of the walls that remain is only about 14 feet, and their greatest thickness about 1 I or 12 feet. They are built of lime-stones, imbedded in cement, some of which seem to have been tempered with pounded brick. They were faced with hewn stone, but the facings have now been removed. The whole was surrounded by a fosse ; and four gates, one of which was in the centre of each wall, led to the stations in the other parts of the district. A concave space in the centre of this fortress, commonly called King Arthur's Round Table, has been supposed by some the site of a magnificent temple dedicated to Diana, while others more probably imagine it to have been an amphitheatre. The remains of stone scats which were discovered around it, seem to prove that it was a lapidcan, and not a campcstrian amphitheatre. Al though the area within the wails of Caericon is only about 1800 yards hi circumference, yet the suburbs ex tended to a great distance, and are said to have covered a tract of country about time miles in circumference.
The greater part of the antiquities found in this town have been carried away to other places. A few coins,— a rude sculpture, in basso relievo, of a Venus Marina holding a dolphin in her hand, with the carving of a large marine shell on the revers•,—and an antique intaglio, are the only specimens which remain. In 1755, a sudato•y
was discovered in a field near the river. It was formed of columns, construct,d ol* round bricks, fourteen inches in dianu ter, and lour thick. A tesselated in a perfect state, was found in an adjoining apartment. Bricks filar kened w WI lire, and leaden pipes, were also found in the same place. In 1692, a tessclated pavement, fourteen feet in dimnuter, was found in a lield : it had variegated borders of white, blue, and red tessela, sur rounding figures of birds of the same colours. There was also on this pavement a figure of Dial., wide], Cam den as clad " in tuckt up garments, with a quiver, but without head, hands, or feet." The present market-house of Caerleon is supported by four short and massive Tuscan columns, which Mr Coxe supposes to have belonged to some ancient Roman structure. Se veral inscribed pillars were lately (lug op near the cen tre of the old city ; and the votive stone, with the in scription has induced antiquarians to believe, that this spot has been the site of the temple of Diana. Several votive altars have likewise been discovered. One of these is to the Emperor Aurelius Antonini's, and See emus Lucius his son, and alludes to the second Augustine legion. In another, the epithet Dolichius is applied to Jupiter, al luding to his being the protector of iron mines ; and in a third, dedicated to Antoninus and Geta, the word Cxsar is added to the latter name. Coins of every period of the Roman empire have likewise been found here ; and nu merous antiquities, such as bronze figures, lamps, fibu la, seats, rings, &c.
The ancient castle of Caerleon appears to have ex tended between the south side of the Roman wall and the river. On the high mound of earth called the Keep, to the north of the town, there was formerly a gigantic tower, mentioned by Gyraldus ; but the only remains of it are a variety of stones near its base. There was also in this town an abbey of Cistertian monks, situated in the High Street, where there is an old house, which is the only remains of the monastery. The wooden bridge over the Uske is said to resemble Cxsar's bridge over the Rhine. The floor, supported by ten high piers, is horizontal, and is divided by posts and rails into rooms or beds of boards, each of which is twelve feet long. As the height of the water at extraordinary tides sometimes exceeds thirty feet, parts of the bridge have been carried away. On this account it is about to be replaced by a bridge of stone. The inhabitants arc chiefly supported by the extensive tin works of Mr Butler, in the vicinity of the town, at which from 14,000 to 20,000 boxes of tin plates, each containing from 200 to 300 plates, are annu ally manufactured. There is also an iron forge here ; and, by the flowing of the Uske, the town possesses a small share of the coasting trade to Bristol. The gar dens and orchards of Cacrleon are covered with great quantities of cinders, containing much iron. They are called Roman cinders, and appear to be the remains of ore imperfectly smelted by the Romans in their open bloomeries. Number of houses 148. Population 667. Sec Evan's Tour through South Wales, 1804. Warner's Tour ; Coxes Historical Tour in Monmouthshire, 1801; Powell's History of Wales ; but pal ticularly the Beau ties of England and Wales, vol. xi. p. 124. (71-)