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Chap. XVI.
MUSEUM: AGE OF IRON.
251
handsome, and must have been difficult to purloin, being
made without a joint.
Splendid and massive are the neckrings, rich also in
ornamentation; bracelets of exquisite and artistic beauty,
and in great variety; rings of twist and coil, some so
large as to cover the whole joint of a colossal finger: one
is formed of two griffin’s claws, meeting in the centre;
another a sort of quatrefoil composed of four
diamondshaped lozenges. A curious—very curious—ring of thick
and heavy gold, enamelled with Runic characters, too
ancient to be deciphered, was discovered in the
neighbourhood of Bergen and made its way to England; thence it
went to Paris, where it was repurchased and is now in
the Scandinavian Museum at Copenhagen.
The bracteæ coins, or imitations of them—sometimes
Cufic, sometimes Byzantine — are very interesting:
many have Runic inscriptions. The coins are enclosed
within a border, with a loop to attach them on to the
collar. On some are represented the god Thor, and
what do you imagine he is doing? Why, applying
his thumb to the end of his nose, his four fingers
extended in the air. I never knew before how ancient
this custom was, or whence the naughty little boys
derived this excessively low-bred habit.
But it would be an endless task to describe in
detail the innumerable relics of this collection. The
ancient adage “ that riches beget riches ” is here fully
exemplified: each week, each day, adds to the
treasures already accumulated. And shall we ever possess
in England, such a museum of early national antiquities ?
I doubt it, even if space be allowed in some future
building at Kensington, unless some antiquarian member
of Parliament take up the matter and introduce a change
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