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ORIGIN OF THE CITY 31 be there? It is a curious fact that, in spite of the tons of paper which have been covered with the records of discoveries and speculations about Roman London, we cannot answer these guestions any more than could our ancestors of the twelfth century. I have put down the little that is known in my other books, and it will be sufficient here if I the ascertained nological —— order. made a fort in 43. later, namely in 61, that Londinium, place, was of no ance, and abanrebels under BoaI infer that the been built in 61. Romans made a a strong fort or simply summarise facts in brief chroAulus Plautius Eighteen years Suetonius found though a large strategical importdoned it to the dicea. From this bridge had _ not A little later the bridge, and placed pretorium at the northern end to protect it. ‘ London Stone still ately, the site of marks, approxim the western entrance. More than two centuries passed during which the suburbs round the fort had grown very large, and in 296 they were plundered by the mercenaries of one of the numerous pretenders to the purple. It is evident therefore that the impregnable wall had not yet been built. Constantine was in Britain when he became Emperor, and soon afterwards the Roman Empire adopted Christianity. In 350 there was still no wall, though the houses and streets about the fort were more numerous than ever. In 369 we first hear of the existence of a wall. It was built
