widening gradually as they descended; of extreme hardness and the most compact consistency. The Romans were deservedly famous for erecting their buildings of such adamantine substance, as could bid defiance to the destructive ravages of time itself. The mineral waters occupied the centre of the space of ground inclosed by those walls. After the projection of the town, to defend them from injury, to render them subservient to health, accommodation and pleasure, was the next employment that engaged the attention of those invaders; on this work they bestowed much labour and expence. A discovery occurred in the year 1755, which throws some light on the history of the hot springs of this city, and proves incontestibly that the Baths constructed here by the Romanswere amongst the earliest as well as the most magnificient of their works in this place.

A description of these remains will not we presume, be uninteresting to our readers;

"The walls of these Baths were eight, feet in height, built with wrought stone, lined with a strong cement of terras, one of them was of a semicircular form, fifteen feet in diameter, with a stone seat around it, eighteen inches high, and floored with very smooth flag stones. The descent into it was by seven steps, and a small channel for conveying the water ran along the bottom, twining at a right angle towards the present King's Bath. At a small distance from this, was a very Jarge oblong Bath, having on three sides a colonade surrounded with small pilasters, which were probably intended to support a roof. On one side of the Bath were two sudatories, nearly square, the floors of which were composed of bricks covered with a strong coat of terras, and supported by pillars of brick, each brick being nine inches square and two inches thick. These pillars were four feet and a half nigh, and set about fourteen bricks asunder, composing a vault for the purpose of retaining the heat necessary for the rooms above. The interior walls of the apartments were set round with turbulated bricks or funnels, about eighteen inches long, with a small orifice opening inwards, by which the stream of heat was communicated to the apartments. The fire-place from which the heat was conveyed, was composed of a small conical arch, at a little distance from the outward wall, and on cach side of it adjoining to the above-mentioned rooms, were two other smaller sudatories of a circular shape, with several small

square Baths, and a variety of apartments, which the Romans used preparatory to their entering either the hot-baths or sudatories; such as the Frigidarium, where the bathers undressed themselves, which was not heated at all, the Tepidarium, which was moderately heated-and the Eliotbesion, which was a small room containing oil, ointments and perfumes. These rooms had a communication with each other, some of them were paved with flag-stones, and others beautifully tesselated with dies of various colours, a regular set of wellwrought channels conveyed the superfluous water from these Baths into the Avon."

The Baths were the first public buildings erected by the Romans within the walls; the remainder of the area was occupied with huts for the accommodation of the troops; their superstructure wooden on stone foundations, covered with straw, shingles or tiles, running in straight lines from the prætorium, or residence of the commander, which stood at the northern end of the inclosure.

Julius Agricola, who in the year 78, was made commander of the Roman troops in Britain, has left some vestiges of his munificence to the city of Bath. They consist of the remains of temple dedicated to Minerva, erected by him, in honour of a deity particularly reverenced by the reigning Emperor. Agricola thought there could not be a better mode of offering a delicate sacrifice to the vanity of Domitian, than by building a magnificent fane to the goddess he wished to be considered as his mother.-In the city of Bath too, this compliment would be peculiarly appropriate; as Minerva had long been considered in heathen mythology, one of the deities who presided over waters.

The emperor Septimus Severus, who was in Britain about the year of our Lord 208, being obliged to go to the north to quell an insurrection of the Calidonians, nominated his son Geta, governor of south Britain during his absence. A piece of Roman masonry found in Bath many years since, pretty evidently shews the young prince to have remained part, of this time at the Hot Springs: this was an equestrian figure. The countenance represented on it, had a great resemblance to the face of Geta, as stamped on his several coins. This prince having an unbounded passion for horses, was exhibited on coins in the character of Castor, the, celebrated equestrian hero of antiquity. A parma and basta which the figure bears,

shew his superior dignity: no one but a Cæsar having a right to an equestrian statue thus ornamented. It seems probable, that the inhabitants of Bath erected this, in consideration of the prince's munificence to the city, and courteous behaviour to the province at large. It is said he repaired the baths, and erected public structures, that deserved the honours paid him.

About this time the Hot Springs were dignified with the name of Aquae Solis, Waters of the Sun; instead of Therma Sudata, and solemnly dedicated to Apollo Medicus, the deity who was supposed to have conferred medical properties on waters, herbs and plants. A superb bronze statue was then erected in the city in honour of this god.

About the end of the third century, Dioclesian and Maximinian were governors of the Roman empire. A curious piece of sculpture, discovered some years ago, shews they had divine honours paid to them at Bath: it is an altar-stone, and seems designed to stand in the corner of a temple.

From this time to that of the Romans leaving Britain, we are in possession of no circumstance that can illustrate the history of Bath; we can only discern it continued to be a place much frequented, and that part of the twentieth legion, and some of the Vettonensian horse were quartered in it.

Various pieces of Roman masonry discovered here, incon trovertibly prove the great attention the Romans paid to aggrandize the city of Bath, in order to make it worthy of their principal residence, Temples, allars, and public edifices rendered it a superb and attractive place.

What has been related, is sufficient to prove that the Romans were the first who founded the city of Bath; that they adorned it with all the beauties of architecture, and brought the virtues of its waters into publicity.

But now, new-sprung wars being waged against the Romans at home, they were obliged to concentrate their forces at the seat of empire, and leave their distant provinces destitute of protection. Britain amongst the rest, was deprived of her military guardians, and the legions who were stationed at the waters of the Sun, were compelled to accompany their brothers in arms, and to leave their favourite City, three centuries and a half after its foundation by their victorious an

cestors.

About the year 448, the south Britains, under their king Vortigern, were obliged to request the assistance of the Sax

ons, who at that time inhabited the provinces of Saxony and Westphalia in Germany, against the incursions of the Picts and Scots, the inhabitants of north Britain. The Saxons immediately obeyed the summons, and came over, commanded by Hengist and Horsa. Ambition was soon predominant in the breast of Hengist. He entered into an alliance with the Picts and Scots, and boldly declared his intentions of making himself master of the country he came to defend. A war commenced which lasted above a century, ending in the entire conquest of this country by the Saxons.

Bath being situated at a distance from the scene of slaughter, appears to have experienced a kind of tranquility until the year 493. The Saxon general whom Arthur defeated at Bath, was Cerdic. Arthur's forces, crossed the Avon at Salford, attacked Cerdic on Bannas Down-pursued him to Lansdown-drove the Saxons over Beacon hill with great slaughter. As this battle was fought in 520 Cerdic escaped the Carnage, but Baldulphy Colgrin had two of his Generals there slain. In digging for a foundation to Mr. Wilmot's garden wall, Lansdown-Road, in October 1806, many human skeletons were found, lying under the surface of the earth in various directions, which in all probability were those of Cerdic's army, who were thrown headlong by the Britains over the brow of the hill.

About the same time in digging for a foundation to some new houses opposite the Greyhound Inn back gate, on the Borough-Walls, were found the ruins of a Temple of Apollo, consisting of cornices, capitals, &c. and a stone with an inscription, denoting the identity of its being a Temple of the above description; which inscription is CARNI V

Carneus was the ancient British name for Apollo, and the V is supposed to be part of the date when the Temple was destroyed, which must have been in the sixth century; in all probability at the time when Arthur entered Bath after the battle of Bannes Down. On this stone was an ivory Cruci. fix, very curiously wrought, and which is now in the pos session of Mr. Mawley, the proprietor of the buildings.The stone is placed in the Repository of Antiquities, belonging to the Corporation in Bath-Street, where all curiosities of this nature are carefully preserved, Arthur was a zealous promoter of the christian faith, and probably placed the Cru

cifix over the ruins of the Pagan Temple, which he had demolished.

When the Saxon tribes under the command of Ella, and his three sons Cymenus, Pleting, and Cissa, encamped on Lansdown, and besieged the city. Arthur, the most famous of our British heroes, by his extraordinary courage inspired the Britons with new spirits and intripidity; he attacked Ælla and defeated him in a most bloody battle.

In the year 577, the Saxon commanders Ceaulin and Cuthwin made a conquest of Bath, which now changed both its name and inhabitants; and the classical name of Aque Solis, or Waters of the Sun, was converted into the less elegant but more appropriate one of Hat Batbun, Hot Waters.

This revolution forms an honourable epoch in the history of Bath; since about this time was introduced into this city the worship of the true God, and the knowledge of a means of approach to him through the interference of a redeeming Saviour. In the year 570 Ethelbert, king of Kent, marrying Birtha the daughter of Cherebert king of France, (a Christian princess of great accomplishments), soon became a convert to the faith of his bride, and their noble examples soon spread Christianity from the east to the west of England.

The Roman missionaries being received at Bath, a Christian Church rose out of the falling fane that had been hitherto dedicated to Minerva.

In the year 676, Osric king of Huicii founded a convent at Bath; and gave one hundred manentes to a female named Bretana to erect it for the reception of a certain number of Nuns.

Bath for two centuries formed an addition to the kingdom of Wessex; at the end of which, Offa king of Mercia, compelled Cynewulf king of Wessex to resign it with the adjoining country. In 775, Offa erected a College for secular canons on the ruins of Osric's nunnery.

During the reign of Athelstan, which began in the year 925, and ended 941, a Mint, was established at Bath, which evidently proves it was a place of the first consequence, and that it possessed a considerable place in the esteem of this sovereign: since none but places of great eminence were allowed the privilege of coining.

In the tenth century, Edgar, a profligate prince, guided by