ERMINSTREAT, Una e quatuor Angliæ viis militaribus celebrioribus, quam eæ intersecant ac percurrunt, olim a Romanis exstructis. Harum primam Watlingstreat (de qua Vita Offæ II. Regis pag. 19.) et Werlamstreat, quod per Verolamium duxerit ; alteram Ikenildstreat, quod ab Icenis initium habuerit ; tertiam Fosse, quod fossa, ut putant, utrinque munita fuerit : et quartam Erminstreat, Germanico vocabulo appellitant, a Mercurio, quem sub nomine Irminsull, i. Mercurii columna, Germani coluerunt : qui quidem Græcis ἐνόδιος dicitur, quod viis præesse crederetur. Hæ viæ quatuor Chemini regales dicuntur in Legibus Edwardi Confess. cap. 12. et 13. quorum duo, inquiunt,

in longitudinem regni, alii duo in latitudinem distenduntur

. Hi pacem Regis habere dicuntur, ita ut qui delicta in iis committunt, Regis judicio nude subjaceant. Quod et statuitur in Legibus vernaculis Willelmi Nothi § 30. ubi tres tantum ex his viis militaribus recensentur, Wetlingstreet, Ermingstreet, et Fosse : quarta omittitur Ikenildstreat. Notum autem streat, his locis, stratam, seu viam denotare. Horum itinerum meminit præterea Robertus Glocesterensis in Poem. Anglico MS. ex Bibl. Bodleiana, apud Will. Dugdalum in Antiquitatib. Warwic. pag. 6.

Faire weyes many on ther ben in Englonde,

But four most of all ther ben zunderstonde,

That thurg an old king were made ere this,

As men schal in this boke aftir her telle iwis.

Fram the South into the North takith Ermingestrete

Fram the East into the West goeth Ikeneldstrete,

Fram Southeast to Northwest, thas is sum del grete,

Fram Dover into Chestre goth Watlingstrete.

The ferth of thise is most of alle that tilleth fram Toteneys,

Fram the one end of Cornwalle anone to Cateneys,

Fram the South west to Northest into Englondes ende,

Fosse men callith thiske way thay by mony town doth wende.

Thise foure weyes on this londe kung Belin the wise

Made and ordeyned hem with gret fraunchise :

For whoso dide therein ony thefte obter ony wouz

He madde juggement therof and gret vengeaunce ynouz.

Vide Galfridum Monumethensem lib. 1. cap. 18. Grimm. Mythol. German. pag. 212. sqq. et infra Pax Regis.