Stothard, Charles Alfred; Kempe, Alfred John: The monumental effigies of Great Britain: selected from our cathedrals and churches ; for the purpose of bringing together, and preserving correct representations of the best historical illustrations extant, from the Norman conquest to the reign of Henry the Eight (London, 1817)

INTRODUCTION.

3

cular would be enough of itself without thinking of giving specimens, &c. The
earliest tombs of this country, since the Conqnest, appear to us in the shape of the lid of the coffin.
These seem to have been placed even with the pavement, having, in some instances, foliage fancifully
sculptured upon them, and in others crosses, with various fanciful devices, but most generally with
such as denoted the profession of the deceased. These were carved in exceeding low relief Tombs
of this description are extremely numerous. As examples, a few will be selected of the most curious.
From some interesting specimens we have prior to the Conquest, we may gather that such a mode
was very early practised in this country."
In pursuance of this intention, Mr. Stothard made a drawing of the lid of the stone-coffin of Queen
Matilda, at Caen, an etching from which is here inserted. We have in this drawing a careful fac-
simile of an inscription in the Roman character, as employed in the Gothic age. The chief varia-
tions are to be found in the form of the C, E, H, G, Q, and Z; and of the three first letters, the
pure Roman form is used as well as the other. It may, indeed, be suspected that the alteration
began with the Romans of the Lower Empire themselves. The upright strokes of letters in this
inscription are sometimes blended together, so as to make one upright stroke serve for two letters, as
the last stroke of an N for the first of a D; in one instance, a single letter is made to end and begin
a word, asQUAMULTIS for QUAM MULTIS; small letters are put within larger, &c.; prac-
tices not unknown, we believe, to the Romans, in their inscriptions, when they wished to contract
them within a limited space. A curious example of this kind, in the inscription on the tomb of
the Anglo-Saxon Princess Editha, at Magdeburg, was communicated in 1830 by the Rev. Edward
Kerrich, F.S.A. to the Gentleman's Magazine.^ The round uncial character, so called either from
its size or its initial station in MSS. came into use on tombs in the thirteenth century, and was super-
seded by the black-letter towards the close of the fourteenth.
Matilda was the daughter of Baldwin Earl of Flanders, was married to William Duke of Normandy
before his successful invasion of England, and was crowned as his Queen Consort of that Country in
1068. She died in 1083, and was buried in the church of the Holy Trinity, founded by herself at
Caen. The following is the epitaph inscribed on her coffin-lid:
"EGREGIE PULCHRI TEGIT HEC STRUCTURA SEPULCHRI
MORIBUS INSIGNE' GERMEN REGALE MATHILDEM
DUX FLANDRITA PATER HUIC EXTITIT ADALA MATER
FRANCOR' GENTIS ROTBERTI FILIA REGIS
ET SOROR HENRICI REGAHS EDE POTITI
REGI MAGNIFICO WILLELMO JUNCTA MARITO
PRESENTEM SEDEM PRESENTE' FECIT ET EDEM
TAM MULTIS TERRIS QUAMULTIS REBUS HONESTIS
A SE DITATAM SE PROCURANTE DICATAM
HEC CONSOLATRIX INOPUM PIETATIS AMATRIX
GAZIS DISPERSIS PAUPER SIBI DIVES EGENIS
SIC INFINITE PETIIT CONSORTIA VITE
IN PRIMA MENSIS POST PRIMAM LUCE NOVEMBRIS." f-
The reader will be amused by comparing this version with the inscription in the etching, and
observing the expedients which were resorted to in order to bring it within the limits of the stone.
To Mr. Stothard's observations on stone-coffins may be added, that they were the receptacles of
* Gents. Mag. vol. C. i. 195. She was the daughter of King Edmund,
t Mrs. Charles Stothard's Tour in Normandy, &c. p. 101.