Page:Archaeologia Volume 13.djvu/276

216 as it was carried to be buried ; and very often in church-yards to remind the people of the benefits vouchsafed to us by the cross of Christ; and in early times, at most places of public concourse, or at the meeting of three or four roads or highways. At those crosses the corpse in carrying to church was set down, that all the people attending might pray for the soul of the departed. It was customary for mendicants to station themselves at crosses for the purpose of soliciting alms for Christ's sake; hence they say, in the north of England, when a person is urgent and vehement, "He begged like a cripple at a cross."

Penances were oftentimes finished at crosses, which concluded with weeping, and the usual marks of contrition. Near the town of Stafford stood a cross called Weeping-Cross, from its being a place designated for the expiation of penances.

It will be superfluous to enumerate more instances of crosses erected for all the purposes above mentioned, as it may be presumed they are familiar to many of the Members of this Society.

There are a great number of sepulchral crosses both in Great Britain and Ireland, which were erected soon after prayers for the dead came into use. In those times it was not uncommon for persons to desire that crosses might be erected at the places of their interment to put devout people in mind to pray for their souls. When these memorials were set up by persons in their life time, there was generally inscribed on them posuit, or poni curavit; but most commonly it was done either by the command or at the desire of the person departed, when by their command or order the word jussit was made use of, when at the desire rogavit. Mr. Borlace has