84 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



tance, some of them pointing out the offices or endowments of the 

 Saints ; others their martyrdoms ; and others some eminent action 

 or other matter some way relating to the Saint ; or else the work 

 or sport in fashion about the time when the feast is kept." 



From this extract, and the above description of the clogg in 

 the Museum, it will be seen that, owing to the frequent use of 

 the cross and the fewness of symbols peculiar to certain saints, 

 either (1) these signs were unknown to the maker, or that (2) he 

 was too indolent to make them. But I think that the carved deco- 

 ration at the commencement, the careful manner in which the 

 original notches, crosses, and other signs are cut, would completely 

 overthrow the latter assumption. 



Thus it would seem that it was made very many years ago ; or, 

 at all events, if so lately as the 17th century, in some remote dis- 

 trict which had but little communication with any centre of infor- 

 mation. 



Some of the symbols are similar to the Gothic Characters 

 (Dominical Letters) engraved upon the Danish rimstocks and Nor- 

 wegian primstaves {vide Plot's Nat. Hist. Stqf, folio, 1686, p. 421, 

 &c), but do not seem to occur with any regularity. 



Vide also Stephen's Old Northern Runic Monuments of Scandi- 

 navia and England. London and Copenhagen, 1866-7. Vol. u. 



