264 



oibaths in the plainest terms, and a third time more obscurely ; 

 not only however this conspicuous mention of baths, but the 

 description of a stream of hot water of large volume such as to 

 present to the eye a fine display of water-baths roundabout hot 

 without artificial heat, a convenience to be wondered at ! This 

 natural feature in a stone-built city, and in ruins 1 Now where 

 is there a place which can match this description, unless it 

 be the place in which we are at this moment assembled 1 Where, 

 not in this country only, but in Europe-because poets were 

 travellers then as well as now, nay much more so m proportion to 

 the relative hardships of travel ] Well then, what other place can 

 be thought of to answer this description 1 A stone-built military 

 city in ruins, and with a magnificent spring of hot water ^ My 

 knowledge does not offer any response to this except Akmanchester 

 That we however have a just parallel here on this historical site, it 

 will not require many words to establish. Two out of. the three 

 points are obvious without argument. That Akmanchester was m 

 Lman times handsomely built, that it had profited by the natural 

 abundance of good stone, which was easy to be quanned and worked, 

 and that, consequently, there were gi-eat buildings of stone m 

 massive and decorative architecture, that it was gamsoned by 

 Roman soldiery, and largely resorted to by military men of all 

 classes, is manifest at a glance if only from the remains which are 

 collected in this Institution. The architectural grandeur and he 

 military aspect of the city would therefore be fuUy satisfied by the 

 conditions of Akmanchester. • . ^a + x, • 



As to the stream of hot water, it has been already said that this 

 condition is here fulfilled with singular precision. It is, moreover, 

 a feature so rare and exceptional, and consequently so characteristic 

 Lt it stamps the description with a local character tiiat renders it 

 quite impossible for us to regard the ruined city as a mere picture 

 of the poetic generalisation. -n • ,v,-„ 



The only point, then, on which a question is possible is this . 

 Was Akmanchester ever deserted and in rums^ This opens a 

 historical question of great interest, both '^^^"^^^^ ^^^^^:^ 

 When the Saxons had conquered this country we know that many 

 cities were deserted, and that some of them decayed so that the 



