II. CAMDEN'S ACCOUNT, 1607.

[William Camden's (1551-1623) Britannia was first published in 1586. As late as the fifth edition, 1600, there was no mention of the Bewcastle Cross, but in the edition of 1607 (p. 644) the following passage appeared. The first translation below is from Gibson's Camden, 1722 (practically identical with that of 1695), and the second from the second edition of Gough's Camden (1806).]

In cœmiterio Crux in viginti plùs minùs pedes ex vno quadrato saxo graphicè excisa surgit, & inscripta, sed literis ita fugientibus vt legi nequaquam possint. Quod autem ipsa Crux ita interstincta sit, vt clypeus gentilitius familiæ de Vaulx, eorum opus fuisse existimare licet.

In the Church-yard, is a Cross, of one entire square stone, about twenty foot high, and curiously wrought. There is an Inscription too, but the letters are so dim that they are not legible. But seeing the Cross is of the same kind, as that in the Arms of the Vaulx,' we may suppose that it has been erected by some of that Family.

In the church-yard is a cross near 20 feet high, of one stone, neatly wrought, and having an inscription, but the letters too much consumed by time to be legible. But the cross itself being chequered like the arms of the family of Vaulx makes it probable that it was their work.

III. NICOLSON'S LETTER TO

OBADIAH WALKER, 1685.

[William Nicolson (1655–1727) was, when he wrote the subjoined letter, Archdeacon of Carlisle and Rector of Great Salkeld, Cumberland. In 1702 he became Bishop of Carlisle, and in 1718 Bishop of Derry, in Ireland. In 1678 he had visited Leipzig, 'to learn German and the northern languages of Europe' (Dict. Nat. Biog.). He wrote various historical works and antiquarian papers, among the latter being an account of his visit to Ruthwell Cross in 1703, for which see my paper in the Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 17. 367-374. The appended letter is from Philosophical Transactions 15 (1685). 1287–91.

For Obadiah Walker (1616-1699), Master of University College from 1676 to 1689, see Dict. Nat. Biog. He was, with others, author of a Latin version (1678) of John Spelman's life of King Alfred. Nicolson has an entry in his diary under date of Oct. 20, 1684, recording the writing of a letter to Walker about the Bridekirk font, in which he promised ere long a fuller account of that and the ' Pedestal at Bewcastle.']

A Letter from Mr William Nicolson, to the Reverend Mr Walker, Master of University Coll: in Oxford; con

cerning a Runic Inscription at Beaucastle.

'Tis now high time to make good my promise of giving you a more perfect Account of our two Runic Inscriptions at Beau-Castle and Bridekirk. The former is fallen into such an untoward part1 of our Country, and so far out of the common Road, that I could not much sooner have either an opportunity, or the Courage to look after it. I was assur'd by the Curate of the place, (a Person of good sence & Learning in greater matters,) that the Characters were so miserably worn out since the Lord William Howard's time, (by whom they were communicated3 to Sr H. Spelman, & mentioned by Wormius, Mon. Dan. p. 161,) that they were now wholly defaced, and nothing to be met

with worth my while. The former part of this Relation I found to be true: for (tho' it appears that the forementioned Inscription has bin much larger1 then Wormius has given it, yet) 'tis at present so far lost, that, in six or seven lines, none of the Characters are fairly discernable, save only OF THR; and these too are incoherent, and at great distance from each other. However, this Epystilium2 Crucis (as Sr H. Spelman, in his Letter to Wormius, has called it,) is to this day a noble Monument; and highly merits the View of a Curious Antiquary. The best account, S', I am able to give you of it, be pleased to take as follows.

3

'Tis one entire Free-Stone of about five yards in height, washed over (as the Font at Bridekirk,) with a white oyly Cement, to preserve it the better from the injuries [1288] of time and weather. The figure of it inclines to a square Pyramid; each side whereof is near two foot broad at the bottom, but upwards more tapering. On the West side of the Stone, we have three fair Draughts, which evidently enough manifest the Monument to be Christian. The Lowest of these represents the Pourtraicture of a Layman; with an Hawk, or Eagle, perch'd on his Arm. Over his head are the forementioned ruines of the Lord Howard's Inscription. Next to these, the Picture of some Apostle, Saint, or other Holy man, in a sacerdotal Habit, with a Glory round his Head. On the top stands the Effigies of the B. V. with the Babe in her Arms; and both their Heads encircled with Glories as before.

On the North we have a great deal of Checquerwork; subscribed with the following Characters, fairly legible.

Upon the first sight of these Letters, I greedily ventured to read them Rynburu: and was wonderfully pleased to fancy, that this word thus singly written, must necessarily betoken the final extirpation and Burial1 of the Magical Rune in these parts, reasonably hoped for, upon the Conversion of the Danes to the Christian Faith. For, that the Danes were antiently, as well as some of the Laplanders at present, gross Idolaters and Sorcerers, is beyond Controversy; and I could not but remember, that all our Historians tell us, that they brought their Paganism along with them into this Kingdome. And therefore 'twas not very difficult to imagine that they might for some time practise their Hocus tricks here in the North; where they were most numerous and least disturbed. This conceit was the more heightened, by reflecting upon the natural superstition of our Borderers at this day; who are much better acquainted with, and do [1289] more firmly believe, their old Legendary stories of Fayries and Witches, then the Articles of their Creed. And to convince me yet further that they are not utter strangers to the Black Arts of their forefathers, I accidentally met with a Gentleman in the neighbourhood, who shewed me a Book of Spells and Magical Receipts, taken (two or three days before) in the pocket of one of our Moss-Troopers: wherein, among many other conjuring Feats, was prescribed a certain Remedy for an Ague, by applying a few barbarous Characters to the Body of the party distempered. These, methought, were very near akin to Wormius's RAMRUNER; which, he says, differed wholly in figure and shape from the common Runæ. For, though he tells us, that these Ramruner were so called, Eo quod Molestias, dolores, morbosque hisce infligere inimicis soliti sint Magi; yet his great friend

Arng: Jonas, more to our purpose, says that-His etiam usi sunt ad benefaciendum, juvandum, Medicandum tam animi quam Corporis morbis ; atque ad ipsos Cacodæmones pellendos & fugandos. I shall not trouble you with a draught of this Spell; because I have not yet had an opportunity of learning, whether it may not be an ordinary one, and to be met with (among others of the same nature) in Paracelsus or Cornelius Agrippa.

1

If this conjecture be not allowable; I have, S', one more which (it may be) you will think more plausible then the former. For if, instead of making the third and fourth Letters to be two L. . . . 1 we should suppose them to be +.+. E. E. the word will then be Ryeeburu; which I take to signify, in the old Danish Language, Comiterium or Cadaverum Sepulchrum. For, tho the true old Runic word for Cadaver be usually written RA Hrae; yet the H may, without any violence to the Orthography of that tongue, be omitted at pleasure; and then the difference of spelling the word, here at Beaucastle, and on some of the ragged Monuments in Denmark, will not [1290] be great. And for the countenancing of this latter Reading, I think the above mentioned Checquer work may be very available since in that we have a notable Emblem of the Tumuli, or burying places of the Antients. (Not to mention the early custome of erecting Crosses and Crucifixes in Church-yards: which perhaps, being well weighed, might prove another encouragement to this second Reading.) I know the Checquer to be the Arms of the Vaux's, or De Vallibus, the old Proprietours of this part of the North; but that, I presume, will make nothing for our turn. Because this & the other carved work on the Cross, must of necessity be allow'd, to bear a more antient date then any of