447 
** Hence, I believe, it comes to pass, that the most ancient 
native inscriptions in Britain (see Borlase) are in the Roman 
character. Subsequently, some letters were borrowed from the 
Greek, by the Christian missionaries, owing to their acquaint- 
ance with the original language of the New Testament. In all 
writings and inscriptions, then, of the earlier medizval times, 
we may naturally expect a mixture of Roman and Greek 
characters. Hence, the strong similarity of the old Irish to 
the old Anglo-Saxon. 
‘¢ This premised, I proceed further to observe, that the 
inscription above noted seems to be only part of that which 
originally belonged to the cross of St.Vigean. I conjecture, 
for reasons which will afterwards more clearly appear, that the 
first part must have been cut on the ¢op of the cross, above the 
interlacery, which is now lost. It was not unusual to divide 
such inscriptions into two parts. An instance of such arrange- 
ment is to be found in Borlase’s Antiquities of Cornwall, 
pp- 399, 400. Further, in monuments of the age to which the 
cross of St. Vigean belongs, the beginning of the inscription was 
usually prefixed with a small cross, either so (+), or so (@); 
_ but this is wanting in the portion of the inscription referred to. 
_ Taking all these circumstances into account, I venture to re- 
store the inscription (for it has evidently suffered) as follows : 
CI-ROYTTEMPTU 
YPEUORET 
ETTEORPRO 
CULEANIMA; 
_ that is, using Roman capitals: 
zr CHROS. TEMPU 
S DEVORET 
Bids, Eee cOR. iP BO 
CUI ANIMA. 
‘* I do not pretend to give the original letters or contrac- 
q tions, which time or accident seems to have effaced from the 
