VOL. XLV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 601 



England.* And at the south gate the thickness of the wall measured about 5 

 yards. From this account therefore it seems not improbable, that in the passage 

 of Leland, given by Mr. Hearne from Stowe's transcript, where it is said ' the 

 wall without is in some place 6 or 7 feet high,' -J- for the numbers 6 or 7 should 

 be read 1 6 or 17. 



The wall is not any where entirely demolished, except that 2 breaches have 

 been made of late years on the north-west side, to open a passage for waggons. 

 And the ditch without the wall is in some places 10 or 12 yards over, but in 

 others at present not visible ; where probably it may have been filled up by the 

 earth thrown into it from the vallum, that incompassed the city between that 

 and the wall, and which is yet in several places of a considerable height above 

 the ditch. There is little appearance of the vallum, or military way, within the 

 circuit of the wall, the ground being now more generally raised pretty near the 

 top of the wall, on which grow many large oaks, and other timber trees. From 

 the south gate towards Winchester has lain a military road, which, when broken 

 up, appears to have been j^itched with flints. 



The amphitheatre stands without the wall, at the north-east corner, and dis- 

 tant from it upwards of 100 yards. Both the wall and seats, which are made 

 in it, consist of a mixture of clay and gravel. The wall is about 20 yards thick 

 at the bottom below the seats, and decreases gradually to the thickness of about 

 4 yards at the top. There are 5 ranges of seats above one another, at the dis- 

 tance of about 6 feet on the slope. It has two passages into it, one towards the 

 town, and the other opposite to it. The diameter of the area is 50 yards by 40, 

 and the area itself now serves for a pond to a farmer's yard. The design of this 

 amphitheatre might possibly be for the baiting of wild beasts, or other athletic 

 diversions, agreeably to the customs of those times. Though at present no ap- 

 pearance of a cavern, or any other place proper for the reception of such animals, 

 is to be discovered. 



The area of the town within the walls contains at present only com fields, 

 except a small quantity of meadow land, with an ancient church, and ferm 

 house, near the east gate. The method taken by Mr. Stair, in order to discover 

 where the streets formerly lay, was by observing for several years before har- 

 vest those places in which the corn was stunted, and did not flourish as in other 

 parts. These were very easily distinguished in a dry summer, and run in straight 

 lines crossing one another. Also by spitting the ground, and often digging it 

 up, he found a great deal of rubbish, with the plain ruins and foundations of 

 houses on each side of these tracts. Whereas in the middle of the squares 

 nothing of that nature appeared, and the corn usually flourished very well. The 



• See Horsley's Britann. Rom. p. 123. — Orig. + Ubi supra. — Orig. 



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