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were kept, and used from, by inserting a bronze instrument not 

 unlike a small marrow-scoop. There is one of these scoops or 

 lingulce in the Abkell Collection, lately added to our local 

 museum, which was, I think, found at Kingsholm. When it 

 was required to use the whole contents of such a vase at once, 

 it was broken ; and it is a vessel of this description which is 

 translated in our Testaments as the " alabaster box " of very 

 precious ointment, used by Mart Magdalene in anointing the 

 feet of Christ. The most expensive perfumes were always kept 

 in alabaster, from an idea, whether correct or not, that it had 

 the property of retaining the odour better than any other 

 material. Jctdas complained that the alabaster vase and its 

 contents were worth three hundred pence ; a sum I suspect 

 practically equal to more than £20 of the present day. 



Several pieces of a greenish window glass, but very uneven in 

 thickness, also occur ; also the half of a large striped bead, such 

 as are frequently found in Roman Stations ; and a round button 

 core of glass slag ; a kind often found in Roman coffins, having 

 probably served as shroud buttons ; for the Romans buried some 

 of their dead, while they burned others. 



I pass over some other objects to come to the Tiles and 

 Pottery, of which I have found more than a thousand fragments, 

 and with which part of the soil below the excavation is still 

 thickly studded. They may be briefly classed as follows : — 



1. A diamond or lozenged-shaped stone tile, with a large 

 hole in the upper corner for a nail. Similar tiles, but hexagonal, 

 have been found at Uriconium, as well as the nails in situ, by 

 which they were fastened. This tile is of Stonesfield slate. 



2. Broken slabs of red sandstone, | inch thick, much 

 smoke and charcoal-stained, which have been used for covering 

 flues in hypocausts. 



3. Flue tiles ; very thick, and flanged. 



4. Broken pieces of Roman brick, 1^ to 1^ inch thick. 



5. Pieces of a large Amphora. These vessels terminated in 

 a sharp point, instead of a flat bottom ; possibly for placing 

 them in sand or clay forming the floor of the cellar, so as to 

 keep the temperature of the contents more equable. 



6. Fragments of common ware made of Cranham clav. One 



