This room was by 17 ; the room 29 was 16 feet 5 inches by 15 feet 6 inches, and against the wall was another fireplace resembling the one described. The range of rooms running eastward from the great triclinium, were found to extend the whole length of the ptoporticus 10.11. On the south side of the building, another cryptoporticus was discovered, marked 45; which communicated with a range of 12 rooms, containing nothing remarkable except those at the east end, which furnished luau interesting remains of baths. The room 56 is nearly a square of 25 feet, and con tained a finely preserved mosaic pavement. Beyond this mosaic pavement were three rows of black and red tiles, 6 inches square, laid chequer-wise ; and next to the wall a row of bricks, each 11 inches by 15i. Great part of a small stone column was found on the pavement, in the same style as the fragment first discovered, being a sort of irregular Doric, the tori of the base both of the same size. The adjoining room 55 was 30 feet by 25 ; the floor formed of black and Nvhite stones, and next to the wall a row of bricks. Nearly in the middle, was a cold bath IS feet from east to west, and 3 feet 2 inches deep ; it had 3 steps on the east, north, and west sides. On the west side of this room appeared the remains of an extensive hypocaust marked 53 54 ; and from the frequency of the brick piers, it appeared that the apartment over it must have been a sudatory, probably divided into several smaller rooms. The prafurnium was on the outside of the wall, on the south end ; the piers were 2 feet 9 inches high, and 71 inches square, and consisted of 18 layers of bricks, with a larger one 104 inches square, laid at the top and bottom. In room 52 adjoining, was another hypocaust, communicating with a larger one by an arch of brick. The area No. 1 was in another examination found to be surrounded by an inner wall, which appeared to have formed a kind of portico ; and an entire column was found resembling the fragments found before, which showed that it had been surrounded by a colonnade. A cold bath was also found in the apartment marked 21. Mr. Lysons thinks the villas to have been the residence of a proprietor, or at least of the legate or governor of the province. At the time Mr. Lysons first communicated an account of this villa to the Archzeologia, the discovery was confined to the rooms marked No. 1 to 26. During the years 1816 and 1817, by tracing the foundations of the walls on the east and west sides of the great court, it was discovered that the cryptoportieus extended all round. The western crypto porti•tis 46, was S feet wide and 108 long, including a small room 45, at the north end, which had a mosaic pavement. Several rooms, No. 27, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57. besides the cryptoportieus and passages, were discovered on the western side of the great court, most of them extending into an arable field belonging to the rector of Bignor. No remains of pavements were discovered in this division of the building, except those in the cryptoportieus above mentioned, and some fragments of the coarser kind in the rooms No. 2S and 29. Many large tessera; were found among the rubbish in the passage No. 50. By digging further to the eastward of' the single wall mentioned in the former account, that wall was ascertained to he part of an Eastern cryptoportieus. Nos. 60 and Cl, which completed the enclosure of the great court, and the foundations of the buildings, were discovered in a field called the Loure-field, extending 181 feet eastward. Nos. 62 to 71.; several of these buildings were of large dimensions, and they were enclosed within a boundary wall of considerable thickness, not built at right angles with the eastern side of the principal court, hut in a very irregular manner, the following being the dimensions of the several sides of this court, viz.: the eastern side 277 feet 4 inches; the west side 3S5 feet 5 inches ; the north side 286 feet; and the south side 322 feet 8 inches.
It would appear reasonable to suppose that the Britons must have advanced considerably in the civilized arts of life, by such examples of Homan luxury as were afforded in their larger residences, such as that above described, for although not equal to those in I:ome, it is evident that they were of considerable dimensiMis, and decorated with taste and skill, in proof of which we have only to refer to the mosaics and paintings. Whether, however, the Britons did not profit by
such examples ; or whether they were prevented by external circumstances from turning their increased skill and know ledge to practical account, it is tolerably certain that they did not improve so much in these matters as they might rea sonably be expected to have done.
It is true, that after the departure of the Ponnans, they were fully employed in resisting the attacks of their rougher neighbours, and probably had but little time for cultivating the arts of peace. They cannot have made much progress in house-building before the arrival and successful invasion of the Saxons ; for had they, we should certainly look for some proof of it in the erections of their invaders, and this we du not find. Most of their churches and cathedrals, or at least of the earlier ones, seem to have been constructed of timber, and we cannot therefore suppose that their domestic buildings were erected in a more durable or costly manner. William of Nalmsbury speaks of them as "low and mean dwellings ;" they were probably constructed of wood, and roofed with reeds and straw. But even in Norman times, and for sonic period after the Conquest, there seems to have been but little progress made in this respect. The principal buildings erected for habitation innnediately after the con quest of the Normans, consisted of small round towers raised on a mound, and designed with an eye to security rather than convenience. Located in an enemy's country, and in the midst of men who, although conquered in battle, were never theless 'inpatient of their victors' control, and unsubdued in courage, it became a matter of necessity to secure themselves against the contingency of a sudden attack, and William found it a matter of policy to promote the erection of fortified residences by his followers. The earliest buildings of this kind were simple towers, either round, rectangular, or poly gonal in plan, and of small size, but of considerable strength, the walls being sometimes as much as 12 feet in thickness, while the external diameter of the entire building did not measure more than from 40 to 50 feet. The windows and apertures were very narrow, and the entrance raised several feet above the ground, and approached by a steep flight of steps. Such a building is the keep at Conisborough, erected about this time. It is circular in plan, about 90 feet in height, which is divided into three stories, the lowermost, which is lighted only from the interior, being used probably as a dungeon ; the next, in which is the entrance, as a store room ; and the upper ones, for residence. The interior dia meter, in this instance, is about 23 feet, and the thickness of the walls from 10 to 13 feet. At a somewhat later period, such towers or keeps were surrounded by a court enclosed within a strong wall and ditch, the former being strengthened by towers at intervals, and the latter crossed at the entrance by a drawbridge, which was defended by an advanced out work or watch-tower, termed the barbacan. In such castles the keep was not used as a place of residence, except in eases of danger or emergency, more convenient and roomy apa-rt ments being provided in the towers or court-yard.
We next arrive at the Edwardian castles, which present an improved appearance. The keep was now dispensed with, the castle being still strongly fortified by an outer wall, with towers at intervals ; but greater attention seems to have been paid to convenience and domestic comfort ; and the buildings begin to assume the character of a fortified resi dence rather than of a mere stronghold : strength is evidently not the only property considered, although still a necessary qualification. Caernarvon castle is a good example of this date.