The Baths, Ancient and Modern. 149 



The design of the Baths, as revealed by recent discoveries, 

 was well considered and planned. The relative proportions 

 of area and solid, as well as the construction, prove most 

 incontestably that, though in minor details the skill of the 

 workmen may have been defective, the architect was a com- 

 plete master of his art ; and in this respect the ruins of our 

 Roman Baths rank as high as, if not higher than any, other 

 of the civil buildings of the Romans in Britain. The Baths 

 are apparently of two, if not three, periods, and suggest (a) 

 a smaller system at the commencement, then (b) an enlarged 

 plan, and lastly (c) a contracted plan. The earlier system 

 appears to have comprised all that the second embraced, 

 but upon a smaller scale, while the third system shows 

 signs of retrenchment consequent on a more limited occu- 

 pation, and also affords evidence that the structure was 

 not maintained in thorough repair. Alterations were made 

 in the building from time to time until the baths, when they 

 fell into disuse, were walled up or altogether abandoned. 



The Baths were divided into two buildings by the Roman 

 street that crossed the city from north to south, a hot spring 

 being the centre of each establishment. 



The great well of the larger spring (King's Bath Spring) 

 was surrounded by a wall of massive stones, forming an un- 

 equal octagonal figure, 50 ft. long and 40 broad ; while the 

 smaller spring (Cross Bath Spring) was of about 50 ft. in 

 diameter.* The octagonal well (complete as to form, if not 

 in height) which is situated beneath the mediaeval King's 

 Bath, has recently been completely excavated, and is now 

 utilised as a tank for hot water ; while the circular Cross 

 Bath Spring is much mutilated, but, so far as it is perfect, 



* The southern margin of the Cross Bath for about 16 ft. in length is built 

 on the wall of the well. 



