72 



me as somewhat remarkable in reference to Bath. In a small 

 Latin chronicle — Oesta Stephani, Regis Anglorum — which 

 is a history of the events of the reign of Stephen, there is 

 a description of Bath and the baths of Bath, which seems to 

 have a very important bearing upon the romided baths, to 

 which Mr. Irvine has taken me down. The passage is as 

 follows : — " Quee civitas Batta vocatui', quod ex Anglicse 

 linguae proprietate trahens vocabulum. Balneum interpretatur, 

 80 qubd ad illam ex omni Anglia infirmi causa in salubribus 

 aquis diluendi, sani vero gratia mirabilcs calidse aquae 

 eruptiones videndi, et in eis balneandi concurrere solent." 

 The hot water is spoken of as being conveyed through 

 mysterious channels out of the depths of the earth, and as 

 being collected in a bath, which was splendidly arranged into 

 chambers, with bowed recesses — " ex abstrusis terrre visceribus 

 sursum in receptaculum per cameratas arcuationes gloriosb 

 dispositum" — and this description seems to apply to that 

 which is the actual formation of the Roman baths. The 

 period of Bath history here referred to was in the generation 

 immediately after the time of John de Villula, and it seems 

 from the wording of the passage absolutely certain that John 

 de Villula had built the baths in the splendid Norman style 

 in which you know he did rebuild the Abbey Church. It 

 appears also to be equally plain that at that time the hot 

 water came up in a large pond, from which pond there were 

 recesses covered over with circular arches in the Norman 

 style, and which formed the private baths. Those which 

 have been recently exposed may possibly be the old baths 

 preserved from Roman time, and John de Villula may have 

 only built arches over them. 



Having made these few remarks, I shall now refer to 

 the other topic for consideration. The Sculpture of the 

 Sun, which is exhibited in the vestibule of the In- 

 stitution, is something so unique that I can only say, 



