It is not probable
that they can have been undermined by worms, for their foundations
would no doubt have been laid at a considerable depth. If they
have not subsided, the stones of which the columns were constructed
must have been removed from beneath the former level of the floor.
Chedworth, Gloucestershire.--The remains of a large Roman villa
were discovered here in 1866, on ground which had been covered with
wood from time immemorial. No suspicion seems ever to have been
entertained that ancient buildings lay buried here, until a
gamekeeper, in digging for rabbits, encountered some remains. {55}
But subsequently the tops of some stone walls were detected in
parts of the wood, projecting a little above the surface of the
ground. Most of the coins found here belonged to Constans (who
died 350 A.D.) and the Constantine family. My sons Francis and
Horace visited the place in November 1877, for the sake of
ascertaining what part worms may have played in the burial of these
extensive remains. But the circumstances were not favourable for
this object, as the ruins are surrounded on three sides by rather
steep banks, down which earth is washed during rainy weather.
Moreover most of the old rooms have been covered with roofs, for
the protection of the elegant tesselated pavements.
Pages:
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173