Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/146

76 Mr. communicated notices of sculptured stones found during recent repairs of St. Nicholas' Church, Ipswich, consisting of a stone about 36 inches long by 20 inches, on which is carved, in low relief, the fight between St. Michael and the Dragon. The Archangel stands with a sword upraised in his right, and a kite-shaped shield in his left hand. As far as the loins he appears covered with scale armour; below is a kind of skirt, vandyked above the ancles. The dragon is a scaly monster with curled tail, and tongue trifid, like three arrows. Between the figures is inscribed in Saxon capitals: HER SCE MIKAEL FEHT WID DANE DRACO. . . On another stone, semicircular in form, appear on one side a cross, with equal limbs, in relief, enclosing another similar cross slightly incised; on the other side a monster, between boar and wolf, with bird's claws and a recurved snout, bearing round the outer edge of the stone an inscription, apparently to be read, IN DEDICATIONE ECLESIE OMNIVM SANCTORVM. The most interesting of these fragments are portions of sculpture, which, unfortunately, had been cut to make them fit the inner sill of one of the windows. Upon one of these appear two full- length figures of Apostles, with part of a third, about 20 inches in height, in higher relief than St. Michael, and entirely different in style of art. They are placed in an arcade of round arches, supported by slender shafts. The names were inscribed upon the arches. The heads and upper parts of the arches are mutilated. These figures are represented in robes of singular shape, artistically twisted by the sculptor so as to give them a great resemblance to the singular figures of the Evangelists in early Irish MSS. of the Gospels, of which fac-similes have been given by O'Connor, Sir W. Betham, and by Mr. Westwood (Palæogr. Sacr. Pict.). One of the figures bears a pointed staff, surmounted by a Greek cross; in his left hand he holds the fanon. The second has the ends of the stole folded up towards the knees, terminating in a foliated pattern,, whilst a long narrow-folded robe is attached to his left shoulder, and crossed over the left breast, the other end falling at the right side. The third holds a staff terminating above in a knob, and pointed at bottom. Many small fragments were found, showing that there was a series of these figures. The work is more deeply sculptured than the Norman figure of St. Michael, and the letters of the inscription are Roman capitals. Mr. Westwood considers them to be much earlier than the sculptures first described.

Representations of these remarkable sculptures were exhibited, and have been given in the Transactions of the Suffolk Archaeological Association, Part III. They are now carefully preserved and embedded in the wall of the north aisle. Their preservation is due to the exertions of Mr. Fitch of Ipswich, Dr. Drummond, and Dr. Edward Clarke.

By the .—Several Roman vessels, found in excavations for the railway, near the Roman road, at Old Ford, Stratford- le-Bow. They formed part of a discovery of fictile urns, which took place in April, 1848; they were found at a depth of about three feet beneath the surface, and had been communicated to the Dean by Mr. John Attwood, of poplar. An urn, the capacity of which was stated to be from five to six