Gibbon remarks, "he shows a genuine knowledge of antiquity very extraordinary for a monk of the fourteenth century." In 1809, an edition was published in London, entitled The Description of Britain, translated from Ricardus of Cirencester, with the original treatise De Situ Britanniæ, with a map and a fac-simile of the MS., as well as a Commentary on the Itinerary. It has been reprinted in the Six Old English Chronicles in Bohn's Antiquarian Library, but without the map. The Itinerary contains eighteen journeys, which Richard says he compiled from certain fragments written by a Roman general, and from Ptolemy and other authors. He mentions 176 stations, while Antoninus has only 113.]
Inscription on the Brass of Sir G. Felbrigge.—Can any of your numerous correspondents afford me an explanation of the following fragment of an inscription from the brass of Sir George Felbrigge, Playford, Suffolk? Each word is separated by the letter
"Funda de per a dieu loange et dieu pur lalme de lui al [dieu quil est pete ei(t) ceste]."
This is the order in which the words now stand; but as they are quite unintelligible, and the fillet shows evident signs of having been broken in several places, we may reasonably suppose that they were misplaced when the brass was moved from its original slab. The principal word, about which I am in difficulty, is pete. Can it be the same as "pitië?" If so, I venture to suggest the following explanation, till some one may offer me a better:
"... fils de père qui funda ceste place, à dieu est loange et qu'il eit pitië, priez pur l'alme de lui à dieu."
The words printed in Italics are supplied to complete the sense.
F. G.
[Perhaps the following words in Italics may be supplied for those obliterated: "Ceste Chaunterie estait fonde de part de George Felbrigge, Chr. A Dieu soit loange et gloire ... priez pur l'asme de lui a Dieu quil eit pite ..."
The following notice of the destruction of this beautiful brass is given in Davy's Suffolk Collections, Add. MSS. 19,086. p. 342.: "The brass in memory of Sir George Felbrigge, which had for a long time been covered by the pews, was three or four years ago, in consequence of some repairs, uncovered, when the incumbent and his curate had it torn from the stone, and it was for some time lying in pieces at the mercy of any pilferer. Mr. Albert Way, the Director of the Society of Antiquaries in Feb. 1844, wrote to me, to ask what was become of the figure; and, in consequence, as I had not an opportunity of visiting the church myself, I wrote to Mr. Arthur Biddell for information; and the following is a copy of his answer, dated Feb. 23, 1844: 'Felbrigge's monument was removed, much against my wishes, from its former place in the N. E. corner of the church to the chancel under the communion table, where it is fixed; forming part of the pavement. The broken pieces of brass are again fixed in the stone; but so many of the pieces were long ago lost, and I think those which were lately separated from the stone are not placed in their original position: so, except the figure, there is little remains to convey an idea of the ornamental and beautiful work by which the figure was surrounded.'">[