Saturday 4th. Very ###dirty day. Wrote to Miss Hayton, – but shall not send
the letter till I get the Nos of Hone‘s book bound. I am tired of waiting
for his Index, & shall wait no longer. Young Mr Roscoe called on
me, but no new intelligence from his father. I inquired at
Musm. for Mr. Petrie, but he was not there. No letter from Dr.
Bliss. I really am puzzled what to do. Sophocles in Ev’g.
########## In the afternoon I called on Mr. Douce, who
was polite enough to say he thought I had made myself too great a stranger,
& that he ###should be happy at all times to see me. I sat with him near two hours,
& very delightful ones they appeared. We conversed as usual on various
antiqn. subjects. One was the Gesta Romanorum; Mr. D. sdsaid he had collated
several copies in MS. both in the Musm. & in his own possession, with the printed
copies, & from the result of his researches, he was perfectly satisfied of there
being different works. The work in MS. is much larger than the other, & was compiled
by an English writer. The printed ###text was compiled by a German, about the era
of printg., for no MS. of it is known to exist.o-o The Morals are totally different in
each. Mr D. also suspects from some few circumstances, that there is a
third compilation under the same title. Mr. D. showed me ####some beautiful
carvings in ivory, which, when put together, formed a sort of casket### or coffer. He
has several more. The one I looked at was ornamented with carvings
evidently taken from##################### the Romance of Sir [Tristan] Tristram. The
‘potent draught’ on board the ship – the carrying Yseult##### on shore _
Tristram’s intrigue ^with her &c. are clearly represented. Mr D. believes #####that the
cistellæ which exist ornamented with subjects of this nature were
intended for the toilette of ladies of birth, whilst others were used for shrines.
We then conversed on the subject of the singular inscriptions which occur
on brasen baptismal basons, such as are discribed by Kopp in his
“Bilder und Schriften“. Mr. Douce had seen several of these, & in particular
one lately discovered at Glastonbury & which will be published shortly
by Warner. The inscription on this bason#### is in German, & means, I
always protect from ill-luck. Mr D. shewed me a copy of ####another
Inscriptn. in similar characters#### on a brasen cist in his possession, & the
engraving of a sort of dish in the same character – to be read
Giseal Rickor de M. repeated several times. All these inscriptions
appear to have been intended for amulets, or to possess a certain
power of guardg. against evil. I mentioned to him my discovery
of a similar alphabet to thatthe one produced by Kopp from Theseus
Ambrosius, in a MS. at the Bodln. Jun. 25. & afterwards in three
copies at the Musm. Harl. 3859. Bibl. Reg. 15. C. 4 ^and 15.B.2. at the
end of a tract de Cosmographia ascribed to Eticus philosophus.
I also mentioned to him having seen an engraving of a similar bason
in a Vol. of the Archæologia. Mr. D. seemed anxious to possess what
were Kopp’s ideas on the subject, and I promised to give him a
copy of the alphabets, & of Kopp’s sentiments. Our conversation
was led to this subject, by Mr. Douce ^having presented me with a copy
of a Dissertation lately sentcontributed by him to the Archæologia, on a
Runic Jasper Ring, the property of a Mr Cumberland of Bristol,
which Mr ^Von Hammer had succeeded in interpreting by means
of a Runic alphabet in one of the Cotton MSS. Mr. Douce‘s Essay is
intended^ to illustrate the supposed medicinal powers of these charmed
rings, – & I promised him a curious notice on the subject from
Hen. 4.th’s Household Book, Harl. 319. where a charge of 25 s. is made
pro anulis medicinalibus faciendis. I mentioned also to Mr. D. & promised
him a copy of the Runic Inscription on the gold ring belonging to Mr. Bronsted,
formerly shewn me by Mr. Palgrave, ^(See p.77-79) & which I have never yet attempted
to decipher. The characters on it perfectly agree with those of an ancient###
Runic alphabet in MS. Cott. Domit A. 9. but whether this is the
alphabet made use of by ^Von Hammer, I know not. Mr. D. promised, if
possible to procure me a copy of ^Von Hammer’s paper. He also very
readily promised to let me have the ^French MS. of Kyng Horn to collate, &
pressed me to come & drink tea with him one ev~g next week. I left
him in high spirits, & particularly pleased at the flatterg. reception
I had met with. Called on Dr. Young, but he was not at home. —
o-o See my Preface to the English Gesta Romanorum, 1838 edited for the Roxburghe Club.
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