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Show 226 BURIAL OF THE REMAINS CHAP. IV. the mould from being washed down during heavy rai~, would have been thicker ~n the ]ower than in the upper part; but this was not the case in two out of the three trenches here dug. In many places, where streets ran beneath the surface, or where old buildings stood, the mould was only 8 inches in thickness ; and Dr. Johnson was surprised that in ploughing the land, the ruins had never been struck by the plough as far as he had heard. He thinks that when the land was first cultivated the old walls were perhaps intentionally pulled down, and that hollow places were filled up. This may have been the case; but if after the desertion of the city the land was left for many centuries uncultivated, worms would have brought up enough fine earth to have covered the ruins completely ; that is if they had subsided from having been undermi~ ed. The foundations of some of the walls, for instance those of the portion still standing about 20 feet above the ground, and those of the market-place, lie at the extraordinary depth of 14 feet; but it is highly improbable that the foundations were gener· CHAP. IV. OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS. 227 ally so deep. The mortar employed in the buildings must have been excellent, for it is still in parts extreme! y hard. Wherever walls of any height have been exposed to view, they are, as Dr. Johnson believes still perpendicular. The walls with such' deep foundations cannot have been undermined by worms, and therefore cannot have subsided, as appears to have occurred at Abinger and Silchester. Hence it is very difficult to account for their being now completely covered with earth; but how much of this covering consists of vegetable mould and how much of rubble I do not know. The market-place, with the foundations at a depth of 14 feet, was covered up, as Dr. Johnson believes, by between 6 and 24 inches of earth. The tops of the broken-down walls of a caldarium or bath, 9 feet in depth, were likewise covered up with nearly 2 feet of earth. The summit of an arch, leading into an ash-pit 7 feet in depth, was covered up with not more than 8 inches of earth. Whenever a building which has not subsided is covered with earth, we must suppose, either that the upper layers of stone have been at Q 2 |