102 WILLIAM DALE, ESQ., F.G.S., F.S.A., ON 



taken at the time. The building lay to the South-East of the 

 forum, and was situated in the same insula. It consisted of a 

 central nave with apse at the West end, two side aisles with 

 transverse walls at each end, and a portico or narthex. The nave, 

 porch and apse had a paving of red tessera. In a line with the 

 chord of the apse and extending into the nave was a square 

 pavement of more ornamental character, composed of black and 

 white tesserae with a border of lozenge pattern, alternately red 

 and grey on a white ground, enclosed with lines of black. In 

 a line with the entrance is a rough pavement of flints, in the 

 centre of which is another, about 4 feet square of red brick. 

 Beside it is a pit or well about 4 feet deep. Here we have a 

 church of the basilican type. The basilica was a Eoman court of 

 justice, but the word was applied in the time of Constantine to 

 buildings consecrated to Christian worship. It is, of course, 

 within the bounds of probability that the origin of the building 

 may have been secular, and that in later times it was adapted as 

 a church. It has been pointed out that the space occupied by the 

 square of ornamental pavement was occupied by the Christian 

 altar, or, as I myself prefer to call it, the Lord's Table. The pave- 

 ment at this part is in good condition and not worn, as though it 

 had been covered by a mat. The celebrant standing in the apse 

 would look East, facing the congregation. The platform of red 

 brick at the entrance probably marks the site of a lavatory. The 

 portico would form the narthex, the name given by Christian 

 writers to the vestibulum in front of a basihca, to which the 

 catechumens and penitents were admitted. 



The building was a small one, its extreme length being only 

 just over 40 feet. The number of Christians in Silchester must, 

 therefore, have been few and Paganism probably still in the 

 ascendant, as the remains of two large and two small Pagan 

 temples were discovered. 



With this glimpse of Christianity our survey of the Eoman 

 occupation ceases. We should much like to know what befell 

 our Country when the Eoman legions were withdrawn, but of the 

 next 200 years we have no authentic history. We would fain, 

 however, believe that amidst a time of umule and disorder, some 

 of those who followed Christ kept the lamp of truth alight, and 

 still retained their faith when the Teutonic tribes invaded Britain, 

 who enshrined the names of their gods in the days of our week. 

 At the coming of Augustine, we enter the domain of reliable 

 history, and Christianity is once more estabhshed in our Island. 

 We are bound to state, how^ever, that there had arisen in the 

 meantime great changes of observance and ritual. Monasticism 

 had arisen, and the practices of the Church were far removed from 

 the simple observance of such as gathered in the 4th century in 

 the little basilica at Calleva Attrebatum. 



