ST ELOY AND HIGHWORTH CHURCH. 357 



was the protector of animals not only in England, France, 

 Italj, and Burgundy, but even in Germany we find that 

 St Job and St Eloy were invoked in the incantations 

 against the maladies of horses. 



One of the most curious representations of the patron 

 saint of the farriers is that given in the frontispiece to 

 this work. The original was a distemper painting, dis- 

 covered on the north side of the eastern pier, between 

 the nave and north transept of St Michael's church, 

 Highworth, Wiltshire, during very recent restorations. 

 This painting was unfortunately destroyed during the 

 alterations, but not before a drawing of it was obtained. 

 A copy of this, for which I am indebted to the Rev. Mr 

 Bowden, the rector of the church, shows a chapel-like 

 building, wdth forge apparently outside. To the left is 

 the blazing fire, with the bellows behind, and hung round 

 with shoes which have clumsy calkins, and only four 

 nail-holes each ; while near it is perhaps a trough con- 

 taining a lot of tongs, St Eloy, in his full array of 

 church vestments, stands behind a peculiar anvil holding 

 a shoeing hammer in his right hand, on the back of which 

 is a curious mark, wdiile the other has evidently grasped 

 the leg of a horse, whose hoof rests on the anvil, and to 

 this the Saint attaches the shoe. At the foot is seen the 

 Evil One, who never appears to have been absent from 

 the company of these holy men. 



The painting might be ascnoed to the 13th or 14th 

 century, and had sustained rough treatment at some 

 time ; parts of it having been rubbed ofi\ A marble 

 tablet, dated a.d. 1650, had been fastened over the centre 

 of it. 



