100 



^YILLIAM DALE, ESQ., F.G.S., F.S.A., OX 



married Helena, the daughter of Coel, and had by her a son 

 named Constantine, born at Colchester. Dismissing King Cole 

 from the reckoning, we have Constantius as a real person, who 

 died at York in 300. Helena also had a real existence, and her 

 son, Constantine the Great, was associated by Roman writers with 

 Britain. But the story which has made Helena famous we cannot 

 suppose \\as other than a medieval invention. She was honoured 

 as a popular saint on May 3rd, the discovery of the Cross, and on 

 September l-ith, the exaltation of the Cross. It is told of her that 

 she went to Jerusalem at the request of Constantine to search for 

 relics. She found almost everythmg worth finding; the true 

 Cross, the three holy nails and other relics. She afterwards went 

 luither East and found the remains of the Magi or the three 

 Holy Kings, which enshiined in the Cathedral of Cologne made 

 the fortune of that City. In honour of them Cologne took the 

 thre-e crowns for its City arms. Colchester did the same, each 

 crown surmounts one of the thi^ee holy nails. The Cross as found 

 by Helena was of living wood and sprouted when placed in the 

 temple. Helena, by instructions from an angel, divided the Cross 

 into four portions and sent them to different parts of the world. 

 In dismissing these legends we may extract profit from them in 

 the vrords of a Colchester antiquary, Mr. Gurney Benham — 



Never mind about the hteral truth of these legends. Is the 

 allegorical meaning of them true ? I do not think you can find a 

 legend with a truer and more beautiful meaning than that of the 

 aged Helena aft^r long journeying and many toils and perils, 

 finding at last the time Gross, the hving Cross, the life-giving 

 Cross, the Cross which the angel told her to distribute to the four 

 quarters of the world. Xo wonder this story captured the 

 imagination of Christendom. So, too, with the legend of the 

 three Holy Kings. These three crowds s}Tnbolized what they 

 stood for — the three acceptable gifts, viz., generosity and charity 

 — gold; worship, thankfulness and contrition — frankincense, 

 virtue and sweetness of life — myrrh. The three crowns of life. 

 And the three nails meant the triple anguish of the Great Sacrifice 

 — the agony of mind and soul and body, to save the minds and 

 souls and bodies of all mankind. It is a little sermon, this coat- 

 of-arms. A little sermon, but I have read longer ones which teach 

 less. " 



At Eoman sites scattered all over Britain. Christian emblems, 

 and, in rare cases, monumental inscriptions have been found. 

 Amongst the earhest symbols of the Saviour is the fish, probably 

 introduced from Alexandi'ia. Its Greek name gave rise to an 

 acrostic which was known as early as the 2nd centuiy. The five 

 component letters standing for the five words reading: " Jesus 

 Christ, Son of God Saviour." The well-known " Chi Piho " 

 m.onogram, made up of the two fii'st letters of the Greek word for 



