238 



must have been very frequent. Moreover, during the four 

 hundred years' residence of the Romans in this country there 

 must have been many changes of occupants of these Villas, 

 having different religious views. But I have remarked at this 

 Villa the singular absence, for the most part, of heathen emblems. 



I have remarked, too, upon the existence of a chamber or 

 building having an apse, presenting every appearance of a 

 baptistery, of an octagonal form, which would scarcely, I think, 

 have served the purpose of a bath, there being already two 

 other bath establishments for the Villa in another locality. In 

 the corner of this building was an altar, but I failed to discover 

 any heathen emblems about it. Whether this building was a 

 baptistery is, of course, a matter of considerable question ; but 

 if it was not — ^what was it ? It was scarcely a bath, — it is not 

 deep enough; besides, there are other baths in sufficiency. 

 Neither was it a well, for the same reason : nor a reservoir for 

 the supply of the baths, for either of the large baths would 

 exhaust four times as much as this contains ; besides, a well or 

 reservoir would not have required so grand a building. And 

 then what about the altar in the corner of the building, and the 

 space occupied by the apse ? This space would give room for 

 the witnesses of the baptismal ceremony, who, by standing in 

 that position, would face nearly, or quite, due east. Again, 

 just over the altar are three peculiar niches. These are very 

 remarkable, as possibly suggesting a Trinitarian worship. 

 These circumstances, at any rate, deserve much consideration. 

 Whether all these circumstances united together may carry any 

 weight in confirmation of some of the traditions of our eai'ly 

 historians is for you to judge. 



The coincidence, however, of the legends of Arviri and Prasiata 

 with the recurrence of the Christian monogram is curious and 

 interesting, because, whether or not my theories will hold 

 water, there is no doubt as to the Chi'istianity of the builders of 

 this Villa. And when we know how comparatively rare is the 

 discovery of Christian emblems in the Roman or Romano-British 

 excavations in this county, notwithstanding the strong and 

 indubitable records to the fact of its early Christianity, we must 



