72 PAPERS, ETC. 
“courses” as an element of beauty, and would pro- 
bably not have broken the “ courses ” in the manner 
in which they are broken, had he built the porch 
from the ground. * I am disposed to assign the 
older portions of the porch to Reginald Fitz 
Joceline, son of that Joceline bishop of Sarum, 
who was present at the dedication of the church, 
by bishop Robert. + There is one little cir- 
cumstance, which, though of no very great 
weight, is worth mentioning, as it may bear upon 
the assignment of this portion of the building 
to Reginald Fitz Joceline. Before he was conse- 
crated, in Savoy, he was obliged to take an oath 
that he had nothing to do with the murder of 
Thomas ä Becket. Now on the north porch is 
sculptured the legend of the murder of Edmund, 
king of East Anglia, and the fabled circumstances 
which led to his canonization, as related by “ Wil- 
liam of Malmsbury.” It seems to me, not unlikely, 
that one, who was haunted with an accusation con- 
cerning the murder of a person who was about to 
be, or was just canonized, should cause to be sculp- 
tured on the door of his cathedral, the legend of 
the murder and consequent canonization of St. 
Edmund. 
* Perhaps I ought to say here that the string of the crypt is also on a 
different level, it is much of the same pattern and ties in with the rest. 
f It is possible that Reginald might have been with his father here on 
that occasion, as he held ofliee; he was enthroned November 1174— 
died 1191, and was Bishop during the precise period at which I think the 
Porch was built. The canon of Wells says of him, “ Multas Prebendas 
in ece : fundavit de novo, multagq : alia bona fecit Bathon : tum Wellen: 
Bec.. 
