basket work on the panel, the ornament on both pilasters, as well as the double guilloche of the border; and it should be noted that the Italian is the earlier. An instance of the similarity of ornament in early Italian and Saxon carving will be found in comparing the decoration of the border of the well-head (eighth century) at the office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rome, with that on the Saxon Font in Toller Fratrum Church (Fig. 14). Interlacing bands of three strands, bordered by a cable moulding, encircle the top of each; similar ornament in Saxon MSS. of the eighth century will be found in the British Museum Library as in Evangelia Nero, d. 4. The rough outline annexed (Fig. 15) of the ornament on a late Roman scarcophagus looks almost as if it had been copied from a Saxon MS., so like is it. The sarcophagus of Junius Bassus of the fourth century has Byzantine columns supporting similar arched and pedimental heads alternately, and a sarco FIG. 15.-Ornament on a late Roman Sarcophagus. phagus in the Lateran Museum of the fourth or fifth century has Byzantine columns with pedimental heads. Again, compare the Vitruvian scroll (Fig. 10 b) from the Roman pavement found at Woodchester with the scrolls figured on the soffits of the Saxon arch at Britford (Fig. 6), and it will be seen that this so-called Saxon ornament is clearly derived from Roman sources, and the presence of Comacine masons with the early missionaries and the establishment of Masonic schole would account for the introduction of Roman designs. It has been thought that, because some of the crosses bear Runic inscriptions, therefore, they are wholly the work of Scandinavian stone-cutters, and the designs are also Scandinavian. The Kirkdale, Bewcastle, Ruthwell, Crowle, Yarm, and Collingham Crosses all bear Runic inscriptions, but, on inspection, it will be seen that these inscriptions are generally by another hand and of ruder workmanship than the carving of the crosses. Sometimes they are little better than scratches. On the Kirkdale and Lancaster Crosses the runes are certainly inferior in workmanship, and they seem to have been an after thought; the borders on which they are cut do not appear as if they were originally intended to bear them. On the Yarm Cross a panel was evidently left by the carver for the inscription which was afterwards cut upon it, but, being too small, the last two lines had to be compressed to be got into the space. On one cross two panels were left for inscriptions; one remains blank to this day. Did the Masonic guild design and work crosses in their laboreria and so keep the members of their guild employed, and supply them when asked for with blank panels for the inscriptions to be inserted by local stone-cutters? It must not be supposed that the Masonic scholæ established in all parts of Europe never added to or varied from the old Roman designs which they had inherited; there were, doubtless, changes slowly introduced by the Masons in each country, which in time gave a national type to the architecture of that country, and just as in later times the Comacine style in Italy developed into the Lombard and became the national style of Italy; and the Decorated style of Gothic architecture developed into the Perpendicular and became the national style of England and of no other country, for it developed into the Flamboyant on the Continent-so the natural bent of mind of the Saxon and Celtic members of the Masonic guilds gave direction to their expression of Romano-Comacine ornament, which resulted ultimately in some approach to a national style. Most divergencies from the Roman model are to be accounted for in this way. Often the elaboration of the original motif was commenced by the Romans themselves and carried on by their successors as in the following examples : FIG. 12.-THE EVOLUTION OF THE SAXON SPIRAL FROM THE ROMAN Wellow. (b) From a Roman Mosaic Pavement found in a Sculptured Stone at Park House, Drumoak. (e) From a Fig. 12 (a) is the so-called axe of Lycurgus in its simplest form, as represented on the Roman pavement at Wellow; (b) with scrolled ends, as represented on the Roman pavement found in Leadenhall Street, London, and now in the British |