Page:Bruton parish church restored and its historic environments (1907 V2).djvu/102

 Miss Paget, of Farnham, under whose direction the Bible has been specially bound, had the honour of being presented to His Majesty.

, In connexion with the celebration now taking place in Virginia to commemorate the tercentenary of the landing of the English colonists at Jamestown in 1607, the King has presented to Bruton Parish Church a large Bible for use in the services of the church. It is understood that the lecturn on which the Bible will rest is being presented by the President of the United States. The Bible which was on Friday last submitted to the King by the Archbishop of Canterbury, as was briefly announced in the "Court Circular" published in The Times of Saturday, is bound in red Niger leather with a decorative treatment of interlaced lines tooled in gold. The doublures and fly leaves are of undyed levant morocco, and the clasps are of gold. The dominant design on the front cover is a cross, accompanied or surrounded by the conventional symbols of the Christian faith and the four Evangelists. On the front and back doublures are the Arms of His Majesty and of the United States, respectively. On the back cover are the arms of Virginia. The following inscription tooled in gold on an inlaid red Niger panel appears on the front fly leaf:

This Bible is presented by his Majesty King Edward the Seventh, King of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, to the Church of Bruton, Virginia, a shrine rich in venerable traditions of worship, in solemn memories of patriots and statesmen, and in historic witness to the oneness of our peoples. The King will ever hope and pray that the ties of kinship and of language and the common heritage of ordered worship and of ennobling ideals may, through the saving faith in Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ revealed in these sacred pages, continue to unite Great Britain and America in a beneficent fellowship for setting forward peace and good will among men. MCMVII.

The preparation of the Bible was entrusted to Miss Paget, of Farnham, who bound the service books used by their Majesties on the occasion of their Coronation. The binding of the Bible was carried out under Miss Paget's direction by Messrs. Sangorski and Sutcliffe, of Southamptonrow, Holborn.