Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/259

 Tilt: AKCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. i'Jl biibly was so, as appears by comparison with one formerly preserved at the Library of St. Genevieve, at Paris.' With the strigil were found, as already stated, several fragments of bronze chain, formed of links of various sizes, and to the smallest are appended little pellets, forming a sort of tassel. It is to be regretted that these remains are in so fragmentary a state ; enough remains to show that they composed one of those scourges, called plumhatw iribidatce, or mavuniUatce, not often found in England. There is, however, in the Hon. Richard Neville's museum, one found at Chesterford, with Roman coins. A representation of it was given in the Journal in 1849. Another is figured in the " Archseologia," but it is not described as found in this country. These cruel scourges were used for the punishment of slaves, and by the Theodosian Code it was forbidden to punish a free-born person with the plumbatce. They were used in gladiatoral conflicts, in the worship of Cybele, and in the torture of Christian martyrs : sometimes small bones were attached to the chains, or dentated rings of bronze, to make the punishment more severe. In the fragments exhibited, found in Berkshire, it may be observed that the edges of the rings are sharp, and they are combined in pairs, giving greater flexibility, and rendering the lash more severe. It may deserve remark, that in a bas-relief published by Muratori, Cybele is seen striking a kind of drum or tambourine with a scourge of this kind.'' With these curious relics from Sutton, Mr. Chester exhibited two other ancient objects of bronze found in Norfolk, and laid before the Society by permission of Mr. Plowright, of S waff ham. One of these is a celt, deserving- notice as being ornamented with engraved lines ; examples of celts thus oniamented have been of rather uncommon occurrence in England until lately, although frequently found in Ireland ; some very curious engraved celts have, however, been brought before the Institute by Mr. Brackstone and Mr. Dunoyer, found in Yorkshire and other parts of the North of England.' Mr. Plowright sent also a bronze hook, or falx, found in Norfolk. Implements of this kind are not uncommon in Ireland : they have sometimes been called reaping-hooks, although wholly unsuited for such a purpose. By other antiquaries it has been conjectured that they are the golden sickles with which the Druids, as supj)osed, used to cut mistletoe. Whatever may have been their use, it is worth remark that the active research of later years has brought to light in England many of the types of ancient remains, heretofore regarded as exclusively Irish. This is the second bronze falx communicated to the Institute within the last few months : the first was found in Cambridgeshire, and was exhibited by the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.- It was unique in the peculiarity of being edged on one side, the inner side only — that now shown resembled the ordinary form of the Irish implement of this description, and is sharpened on both edges. These hooked instruments do not appear to be knuwn to the antiquaries of Northern Europe, nor are they to be found, as far as we are aware, in the remarkable museum at Copenhagen. M. PcLSKi remarked that he had seen similar chains, but of larger size, Genevieve, p. 26. There is n strigil in the bhng those of the Berksliire ex;nnplo. Museum of the Corporation of London, ' See p. f*l, in this vohune. lound on the site of the Roval Exchange. - Archaeol. Journ., vol. vii. p, '.Wl.
 * Du Molinet, Cabinet dt- la Bibl. de S. de 8. Genev., p. 4, wiih pendants resom-
 * See a specimen of the Plumhata, Cab.