, so much metal was left in the Roman
cinder that it has been sought after all the way down to within
the present generation as a source of profit; and in the
time of Edward I., one-fourth of the king's revenue from
this Forest was derived from the remelted Roman refuse.
I have a beautiful Denarius of Hadrian which was found in
the old Roman portion of the Lydney-Park Iron Mine in 1854,
with a number of other silver coins, some of them earlier
in date; but when we speak of the "mines," the very ancient
ones in the Forest were rather deep quarries than what would
now be termed mines. As we drive along we now and then notice
near the roadside, nearly hidden by the dense foliage of the
bushes, long dark hollows, which are locally known as _"scowles,"_
another Celtic word meaning gorges or hollows; something like
ghyll in the Lake District, "Dungeon Ghyll," and so on. These
were Roman and British Hematite mines. If we had been schoolboys
I would have taken Senator Hoar down into a scowl and we should
both have come back with our clothes spoiled, and our arms
full of the splendid hartstongue ferns that cover the sides
and edges of the ravine.
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