Armstrong — Some Matrices of Irish Seals. 457 



interlaced trefoil-shaped ornaments. The arms are quarterly, first and fourth 

 three bars, second and third a bishop's mitre. (Plate XLIX, fig. 5.) 

 Inscription — 



^ secaRecTvm ■ STaPAni ■ GCPisao ■ pi • Rossan • sis.- 



The inscription is broken up in a rather curious way. The matrix was 

 presented to the Academy by Mrs. Butler.^ 



I have kept to the last of the pre-Eeformation bishops' seals a most 

 interesting matrix of slate of thirteenth-century date, which has been in the 

 collection for some time, but has not been displayed. It was purchased from 

 Francis Wlielan, of London, in 1894, but no particulars as to its provenance 

 or history are available. The matrix has a diameter of 2J inches, and is 

 f iach thick. It is cut on both sides ; the device on the obverse is a 

 Paschal Lamb, carrying a flag, and having its head surrounded by a halo. The 

 lamb stands within a square compartment, and the words AGjS"' DGCI 

 are engraved above it, while on the top of the compartment is a canopy. 

 (Plate XLIX, fig. 7.) Inscription — 



PEIfflAS : IBaRXIGC : AC ■. SffDIS ! LffGACUS. 



A hole has been bored through the matrix, and on this account the last . 



letters of the last word are not quite clear, but I take them to be US. 



The reverse (the counterseal] has a representation of the holy women 



coming to the sepulchre, rendered in an archaic fashion. The tomb is 



depicted as a box-like object. The half -figures on the left represent the 



women, and a figure on the right the angel. Underneath the tomb on the 



left are two soldiers carrying spears, and on the right is another very curious 



figure. The whole device is surmounted by a canopy. (Plate XLIX, fig 8.] 



Inscription — 



SieiLLTm SANCCI SGCPYLCRI. 



I sent Mr. 0. M. Dalton of the British Museum impressions of this matrix, 

 and, judging from these, he considered the matrix genuine and of thirteenth- 

 century date. I also communicated with Dr. H. J. Lawlor, who informed 

 me that, taking the matrix as belonging to the thirteenth century, it was 

 probably that of the seal of Henry de Loundres, 1212 to 1228.^ Henry de 

 Loundres as Archbishop of Dubhn would be termed Primate of Ireland ; 

 and he was appointed legate by Honorius III. No doubt the design 

 of the Holy Sepulchre refers to .the manor and palace of St. Sepulchre 

 beside St. Patrick's Cathedral. 



' Proc. Royal Irish Academy, vol. viii, p. 219. (The first word of the inscription has 

 been misread as "Scutum.") -Cotton, op. cit., toI. ii, p. 11. 



