The opening of I. ROMAN LONDON
Buried London--Our Early Relations--The Founder of London--A distinguished Visitor at Romney Marsh--Cæsar re-visits the "Town on the Lake"--The Borders of Old London--Cæsar fails to make much out of the Britons--King Brown--The Derivation of the name of London--The Queen of the Iceni--London Stone and London Roads--London's Earlier and Newer Walls--The Site of St. Paul's--Fabulous Claims to Idolatrous Renown--Existing Relics of Roman London--Treasures from the Bed of the Thames--What we Tread underfoot in London--A vast Field of Story.
Eighteen feet below the level of Cheapside lies hidden Roman London, and deeper even than that is buried the earlier London of those savage charioteers who, long ages ago, bravely confronted the legions of Rome. In nearly all parts of the City there have been discovered tesselated pavements, Roman tombs, lamps, vases, sandals, keys, ornaments, weapons, coins, and statues of the ancient Roman gods. So the present has grown up upon the ashes of the past.