Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/328

 304 AN ACCOUNT OF SOME MONUMENTAL in length by fourteen inches in width, and nine in thickness. The inscription upon it is still legible, and is read thus in full, siLvs nic lACET. Ou the adjoining side, the siu-face of which is more carefully chiselled, there is a line incised along the edge for a border, and in the middle, cut rather deeply, is a monogram representing a cross, and also the two Greek letters XP, the initial letters of the sacred word Christ. Those who are acquainted with the Roman coins of the fourth and fifth centuries ; and who know also the " Roma subter- ranea" of Aringhius ; or who have seen an interesting work lately published by Dr. Maitland, called " The Church in the Catacombs," will recognise in this figure a favourite monogram of the early Roman Christians. The next example, which is here figured, is a small cross with the same monogram incised upon it. It was found in the ceme- tery of St. Helena's chapel ^ on Cape Corn- wall, or " St. Helen's promontory," also in the parish of St. Just. It measures about eleven inches by nine, and has the appearance of having been a gable-cross. at just, WDwth There is nothing save the monogram in this cross to mark it as Roman, but this it may be said is no slight evidence, for this sign was common and frequent among that people, and is not found at all on any remains known to be British. It was the sign which was represented on the coins of Con- stantine the Great, and upon the standard of the Roman empire during the reign of that first " nursing-father" of the infant Church ; and may perhaps be taken, in these parts at least, as a distinguishino: mark of Roman Christian remains. Nor is there any thing in its form as a gable cross which betrays anachronism in our assumption. A gable cross im- plies a gable, or at least a structure of some kind. Churches, such as they were, we know, were erected throughout the land prior to the reign of Diocletian, circa A.D. 300, for (hu'ing this time the primitive Church was tried with a severe persecution, in which, it is stated, " mmf^ churches were de- stroyed." And as regards the matter of decorating churches with crosses, we have sufficient allusion and intimation in the writings of fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries to assure '■ I'liis cliapel is notic^cd in a y?.q on flic nncient oratories of Cornwall, in vol. ii. )i. 'l^b of tills Journal.