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To GEORGE SMITH, Esq;
SIR,
HAving been long absent on a journey, it was not in my
power, till now, to give you my sentiments on the
inscription you are pleased to propose in a late Magazine.
I lay it down as a rule, that there is no stroke in
these short abbreviated inscriptions, which is not of
significance, consequently we must in the first place
resolve the ligatures; which being done, I take the letters
to be,
There is an appearance of the Saxon character,
particularly in the [G], but as it is well known that
letters of that form were in use in the north as late as
1361, (See Mr Drake's Eboracum p.497.) this
will be no objection to my referring the inscription to the
second century, as you will see I shall do in the sequel;
and much less, since you may observe a strong inclination to
the more modern form in the [reverse D] and [G] the third
and fifth letters.
'Tis uncertain whether I shall give you that satisfaction
you seem to expect from me, in the interpretation I am now
going to offer of this imperfect legend; but 'tis much at
your service, such as it is, with an entire submission to
your better judgment, and the voice of the learned.
The glazing and painting of windows in our churches being
formerly a work attended with great costs and charges,
nothing was more common than for benefactions to the fabric
of churches and chapels to run in that course. I could
multiply examples of this sort, but shall content myself
with two authorities, one relating to the south, and the
other to the north part of the kingdom. See Somner's
Antiq. of Canterb. appendix p.69. Drake's
Eboracum p.339, 340, 529. Wherefore observing this
epigraph to be in a church window, I conceive the 4 first
letters to be the last syllable of the Latin word
fenestras, and the inscription to be imperfect at the
beginning. If this be so, and the inscription be in the
church, and not in the chancel, (which in my opinion would
vary the case extremely) I explain it thus;
Has fenestras T RAS Galfridus G V D N L reparavit Anno
Domini MCL°
In English, Geofry Goding repair'd these
windows in the year 1150.
Two or three particulars in this interpretation you will
expect I should account for, which I thus briefly attempt.
GVD
Paul Gemsege is Samuel Pegge 1704-96.
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