Recent Wiltshire Books, Pamphlets, and Articles. 179 



length, and the Bishop on the whole inclines to Frome, Westbury, 

 Bradford, Bath, Colerne, Littleton Drew, as the most likely stopping- 

 places largely because at five of these places there are remains of Saxon 

 sculptured stones or crosses, though of course the whole matter is one of 

 pure guess-work, and the presence of remains of crosses at these places 

 proves nothing, for there are also remains at Minety, Knook, 

 Wantage, Kamsbury, and other places which can have no connection 

 with this journey. In discussing the character of the sculptures 

 on these Wessex stones the Bishop remarks that that at Littleton Drew 

 is unique amongst stones in this part of England as having part of the 

 remains of an inscription — four letters in all — upon it. He also notes 

 the Irish character of the ornament on the Bradford stone, which has 

 formed the jamb of a doorway. He regards the Ramsbury crosses as 

 having very possibly stood within the Church, at the head and foot of 

 recumbent body stones, and he argues that such stones were in use as 

 early as 685 A.D., for William of Malmesbury speaks of a burial of that 

 date outside the Abbey Church of Glastonbury under a "Pyramid," or 

 cross shaft, " nobiliter insculptce." 



A photo of the splendid altar of Wolvinius in S. Ambrogio, at Milan, 

 is given as a contemporary and probably similar work to the shrine 

 of St. Aldhelm, set up about 855, in the Abbey Church of Malmesbury, 

 and described by Faritius as covered with silver gilt plates on which the 

 miracles of the saint were depicted. The miracles attributed to the 

 saint are mentioned, and his writings are described and criticised, at 

 some length, his principal work being his Sacred Hymns, his Letter to 

 Acircius, The Enigmas, his Letter to Osgith, and his Treatise in Praise of 

 of Virgins. 



His Letter to the Britons, addressed to " King Geruntius and also to 

 all the Priests of God dwelling throughout the Domnonian Kealm," 

 shows that the Britons of the south-west were at that time by no means in 

 the condition of slavery and misery that William of Malmesbury attributes 

 to them. This letter, indeed, was not known to William when he wrote. 



The existing Abbey Church at Malmesbury and the works of repair 

 lately finished are described, and it is especially noted that the new work 

 has been left without mouldings, so that it will be impossible in the 

 future for anyone to mistake it for work of the twelfth century. 



In the appendix a note on King Athelstan's gift to Malmesbury and 

 his feast day, together with the form still observed at the admission of 

 a commoner is given ; as also an interesting note on vine-growing in 

 England, giving the results of the experiment begun in 1875 by the 

 Marquis of Bute near Cardiff, from which it appears that the crop of 

 1893 yielded, from 5 acres of land, one thousand dozens of wine, which 

 were sold from the vineyard at 60*. the dozen, whilst the wine made in 

 1881 sold in 1894 at 115*. the dozen. 



Crabbe, by Alfred Ainger. (" English Men of Letters " Series.) 



London : Macmillan & Co. 1903. Cloth. Cr. 8vo. 2*. nett. Pp. viii., 

 , and 210. 



