192 CLUB NOTES AND DISCUSSIONS. 



Stokes, who was elected A.D. 1222, or Walter de Sydelynge, 

 elected A.D. 1292. 



Mr. Moule, to whom the print was submitted, thought it just 

 possible that WS might stand for " vous " (WS = VVS - VUS), 

 and there is this to be said in favour of the reading, that the WS 

 is not in the centre of the foot of the slab, but falls in its place 

 in the inscription. The same stop which is used between all the 

 other words, except between le and alme, is used before and after 

 the WS, and there is no stop between these letters, nor any 

 difference in the character of the lettering. 



The following reading of the inscription is suggested by a 

 member : 



[ME]RCI : LISET : * LE : PARDUN : ICI | WS ; KI 

 (= qui) i PAR i ICI : PASSET ; PUR (= pour) j 

 LEALME ( = Fame) PRIE 



In response to an invitation to join in the discussion, Dr. 

 Colley March sent the following notes : 



THE MEMORIAL SLAB AT MILTON ABBEY. 



I. Notes on the suggested reading. 



1. PARDVN : H : CI is rendered pardun id. This 

 is, surely, impossible. If the solitary consonant is not 

 H, it is surely not I. 



2. PAR : I : CI is rendered par id, as in modern 

 French. But id is a contraction of ecce-hic, so that any 

 division should be 1C : I. 



II. The inscription further investigated. 



i. The incised slab gives quite clearly PAR : I : CI. 

 The French and Norman I = Y. There are two words, 

 each of which is indicated by Y. One means " there," 

 from the Latin ibi, and the other means "here," from the 

 Latin hie or heic, an adverb of place. It is the latter 

 meaning that the inscription requires PAR : I, per hie, 

 " by this place." 



