Page:A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, craftsman, and amateur.djvu/338

 28o COMPARATIVE ARCHITECTURE. existence, their buildings exhibiting characteristic points of differ- ence (page 218), The Crusades, indicating the religious zeal of the period, are referred to on pages 218, 283, 363. John Wycliflfe (d. 1384) asserted the freedom of religious thought, and protested against the dogmas of the papacy. Many of the cathedrals formed part of monastic foundations (page 294), which accounts for peculiarities of plan differentiating them from French Examples. The dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII. provided funds for the erection of new mansions. V. Social and Political. — Britain, as a Roman colony, was divided into five provinces, and progress was made in agricul- ture, building, and mining, the Roman dress and language being adopted by the British higher classes. The Roman settlements in this country were, many of them, provided with basilicas or halls of justice, baths, markets, temples, and villas as at Bath, Bignor in Sussex, Darenth in Kent, and Fifehead-Neville in Dorset. The remains of this epoch consist chiefly of castles, such as those at Colchester, York, Lincoln, Richborough, and Burgh Castle (near Yarmouth). The word " Chester," as an afifix, is derived from the Latin word castra = camp, and signifies a Roman settlement in this country, as at Winchester, Leicester, Silchester, and Chester. The excavations at Silchester revealed the remains of a very fine basilica. The civilizing power of the Roman roads was of importance in opening out the country. The four great roads in England were : — (a.) Watling Street, London to Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury. {h.) Ermine Street, London to Lincoln via Colchester and Cambridge. {c.) Fosse Way, Cornwall to Lincoln. {d.) Icknield Street, Bury St. Edmunds to Salisbury and Southampton. A.D. 81. Agricola built his forts from the Clyde to the Forth. A.D. 120. Hadrian's wall built from the Tyne to the Solway. A.D. 210. The Emperor Severus strengthened Agricola's forts. After the departure of the Romans in a.d. 420, the remains of Roman work were largely destroyed by the barbarians who succeeded them, but the influence of their architecture continued for a considerable period, A.D. 449-547. The arrival of the Angles and Saxons did not improve matters, as they were especially ignorant in all matters of art. We are indebted to the Venerable Bede (a.d. 731) for most of the information regarding this period, and from him is learnt that a stone church was a rarity, a.d. 650 seems to be