The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1891-09-11
ROMAN HOUSES IN LONDON.

very great uuIuO0r nave DoeO IOuuO
and partially examined by excavations
Some of them are of q size and splen-
dor which denote great wealth as we'll
a feeling of profound security. They
have been found for the most part in
the southern counties Many are in
Kent-a county which, so long as the
count of the Saxon shore protected its
coasts, was the safest part of Britain.
But many Of these villas have been
found in Lincolnshire, and there are
probably hundreds awaiting discovery.
It is not fair in considering the traders
house of London to take the magnih-
cent ruins of such a villa as that which
has been laid bare at Woodchester in
Worcestershire. Here we find sitting
rooms fifty feet square ranged about
courts or gardens a hundred and q hun
dred and fifty feet square; here r
splendid tessellated pavements, fesco
paintings, fragments of statues and
groups, Samian ware, and every indicar
ton Of art and luxury. We need not
suppose that London merchants lived
in palaces. Into the lofty, brilliant,
we'll heated apartments of the finer
houses there was thrown a confused
mass of furniture not unworthy of the
richest palaces of modern days. Cush-
ions and lounges of crimson silk and
Babylonian tapestry surrounded the
banqueting tables and walls; mirrors
of metal or glass shone or all sides.
Glass windows let in the inconstant
sunlight, and candles, lamps and can
delabra in the winter evenings scattered
over tho rooms on tripods, tables,
inches, and perhaps hung aloft on the
ceiling, threw down sufficient light
The infinite number and varied forms
of their lamps show the care the Ro-
mans gave to lighting their rooms and
their taste for nocturnal amusement.
Carpets, rugs and mating we're thrown
upon the mosaic floor. Statues of real
merit stood around in artistic negli-
gence. Tables of citron wood, or mar
BILE tripods, book shelves and stands,
glass vases of all forms and modes, rich
with green, red or purple dyes, shono
on the Roman sideboard. GobletA,
pitchers and vases of tho delicate red
Samian were added to the glow Of
color; they wero SO fragile that only
fragments of the finer kind have been
preserved. In the midst of his luxuri.
Gus home sat the London curial, or al
derman of the Roman time, on his
curule chair, surrounded by wife and
children, clothed in the richest fabrics
of the day, and all glittering with rings,
jewels, armlets, bracelets, some O
which have been left behind to tel
their tale. On the bones of a woman'
arm in MI. Roach Smiths collection
are seen three bracelets Of gold, will
gems and rare chasings.
To complete the picture of the home
of the Roman period we must add
great number of articles of convenience
or comfort that would seem to rs al
most exclusively modern. Chairs
lounges, sofas, bedsteads, chests. clos
cts, drawers. curtains, glass vessels
mirrors and vases, punches of keys
and a great variety of kitchen utensils
gold and silver ornaments, baskets an<
urns for money, great amphorn fllet
with wine, and the well stored kitchen
of the wealthy made up the require
ments of Roman life. These the bal
barous saxons plundered or destroyed
chiefly from a fear that magic lay in al
objects of art. A garden in tho from
of the villa, filed with roses from Pes
tum and lilies and v~iolets, vas neve
forgotten by a peoples fond of flowers
baths, hot and cold, were attached t
every large house. Fourteen centurie
and the ravages of Saxon and Dan
have covered Roman London with
cloud of mystery that no one has bee
able to remove Eugene Lawrence |