12 INSCRIPTION ON THE FONT AT CHELMORTON. 



It only remains to explain the capital O between the two 

 hilts. For a long time this seemed to be a very serious diffi- 

 culty ; but as soon as it was discovered that the circle was 

 used by the ancient Christian Philosophers to represent the 

 blessed Trinity, all our doubts were removed. We have given 

 abundance of proof that the emblem of the blessed Trinity, in 

 the shape of the extended hand, did appear upon fonts ; and 

 what is more reasonable than where it did not appear a 

 similar emblem of the circle should be used instead ? It is 

 obvious that the circle is cut off by the hilts of the swords 

 from the rest of the inscription, and it may be that this was 

 intended to denote that the Deity is unapproachable by any 

 and everything in His absolute perfection ; and the hilts may 

 have been placed in different directions, as they may be in 

 allusion to " the flaming sword, which turned every way to 

 keep the way" into Eden.* At all events, the circle is so 

 manifestly separated from the rest of the inscription, and the 

 letter O, as such, is so wholly inexplicable, that the circle here 

 must be an emblem of something, and vain has been the 

 search for any other than that of the Trinity. 



As the number eight represented the true faith, eight figures 

 forming that number of compartments would denote it just as 

 well as an octagonal shape, and the eight compartments on 

 the circular Tirlemont font were doubtless intended to represent 

 the true faith ; and the Chelmorton font has also eight com- 

 partments, one within each of the sides, and they are in some 

 degree similar to those on the Tirlemont font. 



Every figure upon the Chelmorton font has now been ex- 

 plained in a manner, which appears to be perfectly consistent 

 with all its surroundings, and, as far as we are able to judge, 

 there are no objections that can be reasonably urged against 

 the solution that has been offered. 



A statement appeared in the Times some time ago, that at 

 Poulton-le-Field, near Preston, there is an ancient pulpit of 

 oak, octagonal in shape, each panel of which is richly carved 



* Gen. iii. 24. 



