240 General Discussion of the Crosses 



The other two ends bend down into the upper half of the figure eight, 

 and one, continuing, ends in a space outside the figure. The right 

 vine is developed in exactly the same way, in the opposite direction. 

 The two halves of the figure eight are made somewhat heart-shaped 

 by the offshoots which bend in , and, crossing, fill the space with fruit. 

 The upper half has two bunches, the lower four, two depending 

 from above, two springing from shoots below. The outside trian- 

 gular spaces left by the figure eight are filled with bunches of fruit, 

 which tip the ends of shoots. 



5. Still another design of interlaced bands, taller than either 

 of the preceding. 



At the edge of each face of the shaft there runs a border, inside 

 of which is a narrower molding. Runes, now illegible, once oc- 

 cupied the spaces between successive panels. 



GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE CROSSES 

 OUTLINE 



In dealing with the crosses, we have to consider : 



I. The Inscriptions. 

 II. The Figure-Sculpture. 

 III. The Decorative Sculpture. 



I. The Inscriptions. These are : 



1. Runic. 



2. Latin. 

 The runic inscriptions on the Ruthwell Cross, so far as they are 



intelligible, embody fragments of an Old English poem, The Dream 

 of the Rood. At least one short one on the Bewcastle Cross 

 appears to spell a proper name. The longest inscription is practi- 

 cally illegible, but the two or three words which perhaps can be made 

 out seem to point to a possible memorial purpose. 



The Latin inscriptions (found only on the Ruthwell Cross) are 

 extracts from the Gospels, or other phrases and short sentences, 

 descriptive of the figure-sculpture with which they are associated. 



An examination of both the runic and the Latin inscriptions with 

 reference to their date would have reference to : 



A. The forms of the letters. 



Here it must be remembered that early forms of letters might 

 be found on a comparatively late monument, but not vice versa. 

 (28j 



