THE RUTHWELL CROSS 265 



in 1838 profanely to wonder why, seeing that the 

 character of the cross was Saxon, the language of 

 the inscription should be Norse. He set to work 

 independently, and, assuming that the words were 

 in Anglo-Saxon and none other, made out the legend 

 to be a metrical soliloquy, supposed to be spoken by 

 the Cross itself. 



Over-curious Kemble ! Forthwith there began a 

 storm which raged for years between all the univer- 

 sities of Western Europe, and might be raging still, 

 but for a little incident which occurred about five- 

 and-thirty years ago. Somebody foraging among 

 some Anglo-Saxon homilies preserved at Vercelli, 

 near Milan, lighted upon a hymn entitled 'The 

 Dream of the Holy Rood,' since then known as 

 Csedmon's hymn. In this the Cross the original 

 Cross of Calvary is supposed to address the sleeper. 

 There are fifty-nine lines in all of this hymn, of 

 which these following seventeen were found to cor- 

 respond word for word with Kemble's rendering 

 of the Ruthwell inscription : 



' Then the young hero prepared himself, 

 Who was Almighty God ; 

 Strong and firm of mood 

 He mounted the lofty cross 

 Courageously in the sight of many. 



