PAP-CASTLE, in England, in Bridekirk parish, Cumberland, stood two miles from Cockermouth, on the other side of the Derwent, whose Roman antiquity is proved by several monuments; and a large green stone vessel found here, with little images upon it, is supposed to have

(A) "See the dialogue of Lucian, entitled, De Saltatione, tom. ii. p. 265—317. edit. Reitz. The pantomimes obtained the honourable name of ξειροποιοι; and it was required that they should be conversant with almost every art and science. Burette (in the Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions, tom. i. p. 127, &c.) has given a short history of the art of pantomimes."

(B) "Ammianus, l. xiv. c. 6. He complains, with decent indignation, that the streets of Rome were filled with crowds of females, who might have given children to the state, but whose only occupation was to curl and dress their hair; and jactari volubilibus gyris, dum exprimunt innumerabili simulacra, quae finxere fabule theatrales." Pap-castle, have been formerly a Danish font for dipping infants; and has been since used at Bridekirk in the neighbourhood for their sprinkling.

The name of Pap-castle seems to be contracted from Pipard its owner: it is said to have been demolished, and the materials employed to build Cockermouth castle.

Mr Routh, in a letter to Mr Gale, thus describes the ruins discovered at Pap-castle, Jan. 16. 1741.

"I made particular inquiry of the man in whose grounds they were discovered, and of some of the neighbours present at the discovery. The clofe in which they lay is a little to the south of the fort, on the declivity of the hill to the river, and bounded on the west by a narrow lane, probably the via militaris continued; and is usually shown to strangers as the most remarkable here for finding Roman coins. They are the largest ruins ever known to be discovered in these parts: for they met with three walls besides the pavement; the first lay east and west, and was covered with earth near a foot high; parallel to it at seven yards, they found a second; and between these two, about two yards deep (the height of the walls, which were fix yards broad, and strongly cemented), they came to a pavement curiously laid with large flags, three quarters of a yard square, and two or three inches thick, as I measured them: but imagining there must be money under it, they covered it up till night, and then tore it all up. It was composed of flags of different thickness: under the thinner was a coarse strong cement, which caused them to be broken in taking up; but the thicker are pretty entire. Part of the wall stood on the floor, and the edge was secured by a fine red cement two inches thick, supposed to be intended to keep the floor dry. They imagined themselves at the corner of the building, the third wall standing at right angles with the first, and the second parallel to the stony lane, on which was an old hedge. On the floor they found a stone trough, or rather base of a pillar, about a foot high, and the hollowed part square, and two inches deep. They likewise found a small earthen patera, which I procured, of the fine red clay, beautifully smooth, with letters impressed on the bottom; but so defaced as not to be intelligible.—Some years ago, the man's father who found these ruins dug up a conduit. The owner had no coins, nor knew of any. One of his neighbours showed me a large brafs one defaced."

Mr Routh, in another letter to Mr Gale, April 13. 1743, describes a fibula, a coin of Trajan, ... IANO AVG... P. M. Rev. the emperor seated on a pile of arms, a trophy before him, S. P. Q. R. OPTI... .S. C. and two oaken pieces of the adjoining timber of a house which appeared to have been burnt, in the gardens of Jerome Tully, Esq. of Carlisle. The earth as far as they dug was artificial, and antiquities are only found at a considerable depth.

Dr Stukeley says, the Roman castrum lies on the top of the hill above the village, and he traced its whole circumference, a bit of the Roman wall by the river side going to Wigton, and there the ditch is plainly visible, though half filled up with the rubbish of the wall. A subterraneous vault, floored with large slabs of freestone, was found in the pasture of the south-east angle. The name of Borought includes both clofes where it stood; and they find stones and flates with iron pins in them, coins, &c. on the whole spot below it, towards the water-side. It was a beautiful and well chosen plan, on the south-west side of a hill, a noble river running under, and pretty good country about it. Coins of Claudius, Adrian, and a silver Geta, FONT. rev. PRINCEPS IVVENTVTIS. He supposes its ancient name Derventio, derived from the Derwent.