[Footnote 1: Mr. Peach, in the preface to "the Historic Houses in Bath," page 5, quotes 1572; but this is the date of the completion of Mr. Smith's book, the drawings of which occupied many years.] [Footnote 2: Mr. Smith gives a list of "Wonders in England": 1st. "The Baths at ye Citty of Bath are accompted one although yet they are not so wonderfull seeing that ye Sulphur and Brimston in the earth is the cause thereof but this may pass well enough for one."] [Footnote 3: Evidently the ruin of a portion of the Roman Thermæ, repaired in the 12th or 13th century.] In Dr. Sutherland's "_Attempts to revive Ancient Medical Doctrines_," (page 16), _et infra_, he says: "In the year of our Lord 1755[4] the old Priory or Abbey house was pulled down. In clearing away the foundations, stone coffins, bones of various animals, and other things were found. This moved curiosity to search still deeper. Hot mineral waters gushed forth and interrupted the work. The old Roman sewer was at last found; the water was drained off. Foundations of regular buildings were fairly traced." An illustration of these discoveries is given in Gough's "Camden," and a plan of them was published by Dr. Lucas and again by Dr. Sutherland (_Pl. V._) copied in 1822 by Dr. Spry with discoveries to that date (_Pl. VI._), and by Mr. Phelps, the latter re-published by the Rev. Preb. Scarth in his _Aquæ Solis_, 1864. I have, in part, myself and also when assisted by Mr. T. Irvine (the architect, under Sir Gilbert Scott, of the restoration of the Bath Abbey), examined the small portion of these discoveries that are still left _in situ_. I quote Dr. Sutherland, 1763, p. 17, for an account. "Assisted by Mr. Wood, architect," Dr. Lucas examined the ruins as they then appeared. He gives the following description: "Under the foundations of the Abbey house, full 10ft. deep, appear traces of a bath, whose dimensions are 43ft. by 34ft. Within and adjoining to the walls are the remains of twelve pilasters, each measuring 3ft. 6in. on the front of the plinth by a projection of 2ft. 3in. These pilasters seem to have supported a roof.[5] This bath stood north and south. To the northward of this room, parted only by a slender wall with an opening of about 10in. in the middle, adjoined a semi-circular bath, measuring from east to west 14ft. 4in., and from the crown of the semi-circle to the partition wall that divides it from the square bath 18ft. 10in. The roof of this seems to have been sustained by four pilasters, one in each angle and two at the springing of the circle. This bath seems to have undergone some alterations, the base of the semi-circle is filled up to about the height of 5ft., upon which two small pilasters were set on either side from the area, between two separate flights of steps into the semi-circular part which seems to be all that was reserved for a bath. In this was placed a stone chair 18in. high and 16in. broad. The two