120 The Ruthwell Cross and the Story it has to Tell. 



Mary and Elizabeth meet and embrace each other, (e) An 

 archer takmg aim. (f) Top stone. John the Evangelist and his 

 Eagle. The words around the margin in this case are very 

 appropriate, the opening words of the Fourth Ciospel, "In 

 principio erat verbum. " Upon the north side we find upon the 

 top stone the Runic characters which Stephens read " Caedmon 

 me fawed," but which may as^easily be " Colman me fawed," 

 as I incline to believe. This would connect the famous Bishop 

 of Lindisfarne with our Cross and definitely establish its claim 

 to belong to the Celtic and not to the Roman Church. 

 Below the new arm piece on this side we can recognise John 

 the Baptist holding the Agnus Dei in his arms. Next we have 

 the large panel of Christ standing on the heads of swine. 

 Below this we have an incident from the Church history of the 

 fourth century represented. Paul of Thebes and Antony, the 

 famous hermit, break a loaf of bread in the desert. The Latin 

 letters " fregerunt panem in deserto " are here specially clear 

 and distinct. Lower still we find the Flight into Egypt repre- 

 sented. By the aid of the Vercelli Codex it has become possible 

 to reproduce in the speech of our own day the precise meaning 

 of the inscriptions originally engraved upon the Runic monu- 

 ment. 



Translation of the Runes. 



The translation here given is that of Professor Stephens. 

 As in a dream the poet hears the Cross, the Saviour's tree, relate 

 the story of Christ's passion : — 



Girded him then 

 God Almighty 

 When he would 

 Step on the gallows. 

 'Fore all mankind, 

 Mindfast, fearless. 

 Bow me I durst not. 



Rood was I reared now 



Rich King heaving 



The Lord of light-realms; 



Lean me T durst not. 



Us both thev baselv mocked and handled. 



