79 



bath, is not yet admitted to be satisfactorily explained. If 

 access to this plate could be allowed to certain competent 

 scholars, something more might be known as to the correctness 

 of the reading. 



Upon some Sculpture recently discovered at the Cross Bath. By Eev. 



H. H. WiNWOOD. 



(Read January \Zih, 1886 J 



In the Bath Herald, of September 12th, 1885, was a letter upon 

 "Fresh- discoveries at the Baths," describing the recent " find" of 

 a stone with carving on three sides. "At a depth (the writer says) 

 " of very nearly 20ft. in the excavations at the Cross Bath, was dug 

 " up on Tuesday, 8th inst., a stone, 30in. high by about I7in. wide 

 " and lOin.in thickness, with carving on three sides. The carving on 

 "the first side is little more than incisive work, the second side is 

 "sculptured in high relief, the third side is fractured — showing it was 

 " attached to other masonry, and the back is a carving in low relief, 

 " having no connection as to scale with the principal work. The 

 " incisive carving (No. 1 ) is a tree with spreading roots and branches, 

 " the trunk being entwined by a serpent. Two figures occupy the 

 " front of the stone ; they are headless and almost armless. The 

 "figure of a man partially covered below the waist by some drapery 

 " is on the right reclining on a bank beneath a tree. The figure on 

 " the left is that of a woman (nude), and is erect reaching something 

 " from the tree, but the other arm has perished. Between the 

 "figures is a vase or wallet. On the back of the stone is a large 

 " dog (?) somewhat Hke the Danish boar hound, except that it has 

 " a tail hke a collie turned up over its back (some architectural 

 " foliage and that may be another tail), the Sculpture (and now 

 " comes the startling theory), I believe to represent the temptation 

 " and fall of Adam. It is possible that it may be Hercules and the 

 " Hesperides ; but the male figure is by no means Herculean. The 



