A second, which honors the cross only by its figures, is in praise of Charlemagne. The lines run as follows:

Here all the horizontal lines begin, 'Flavius amicus Carlus.' But these performances of Alcuin fade into insignificance beside the work of his comrade, Josephus Scotus, an Irish scholar, who accompanied him to the court of Charlemagne. His work in this field is much larger in bulk and much more ingenious. An acrostic poem of his on the work of redemption has this design:

X

and reads:

Ille pater priscus elidet edendo nepotes.
Mortis imago fuit mulier poma suasrix.
Jessus item nobis ieiunans norma salutis.
Mors fugit vitæ veniens ex virgine radix.

The small cross in the center reads: 'Lege feliciter Carle.'

Another, a sort of epistolary sermon addressed to Charlemagne, has this scheme:

X

'A third, which is a flattering address to the royal patron, makes the cross thus:

2

And lastly, the most elaborate of all is a long one on the Holy Cross itself, where the cruciform design is as follows:

The lines of the figure read thus:

Crux mihi certa salus Christi sacrata cruore;

Crux decus æternum toto venerabile sœclo;
Crux vita salus credentis Crux mors poena negantis.
Sancta cruci semper salvit inscriptio corda.

Thus the cruciform acrostic, originated by Fortunatus, was revived by Alcuin, and elaborated still further by his friend Scotus. The tradition was then passed on to Alcuin's pupil, Rabanus Maurus, the great German singer of the cross of the ninth century. His name is the one most commonly associated with this species of literature, and under his hand it far surpassed all preceding efforts in quantity and ingenuity. With him the art may be said to have reached its best, or its worst, according to the point of view.

2. Old English.-The Latin hymns and verses on the cross which belong to the Anglo-Saxon period are either the old hymns, especially those of Fortunatus, used in the service of the church, or imitations of his work. But in Old English poetry we find an element that, while founded upon the tradition and rites of the church, is fresh and distinctively

national. The three most important poems for this study are the Elene, the Dream of the Rood, and the Christ.

At the outset of this chapter we came upon a metrical homily of Ælfric's on the Exaltation of the Cross-a story told in verse without ever becoming poetry; and Cynewulf's Elene, in which the story of the finding of the holy relic is described with energy and spirit. But at the close of the Elene, in a little obscure passage of autobiography, Cynewulf says that he was 'guilty of misdeeds, fettered by sins, tormented with anxieties, bound with bitternesses.' Then 'the mighty King granted me his blameless grace, and shed it into my mind, .. unlocked my heart and released the power of song.' After his conversion he turned to contemplate the cross, the means of his salvation. Not once alone, but many times, I reflected on the tree of glory, before I had the miracle disclosed concerning the glorious tree, as in the course of events I found related in books, in writings, concerning the sign of victory.' This 'miracle' he has related, evidently as a tribute of love, in the Elene. The authorship of the Dream of the Rood is unknown, but it seems probable that this, too, was written by Cynewulf. It tells of a marvelous vision of the cross. The opening lines seem to echo the vision of Constantine.

Hark! of a matchless vision would I speak,
Which once I dreamed at midnight, when mankind

At rest were dwelling. Then methought I saw

A wondrous cross extending up on high,
With light encircled, tree of trees most bright.
That beacon all was overlaid with gold;
And near the earth stood precious stones ablaze,
While five more sparkled on the shoulder-beam.

No cross was that of wickedness and shame,
But holy spirits, men on earth, and all
The glorious creation on it gazed.

Sublime the tree victorious

Fearful was I before that radiant sight.

There I beheld that beacon quick to change,

Alter in vesture and in coloring;

Now dewed with moisture, soiled with streaming blood,
And now with gold and glittering gems adorned.
A long time lying there I sadly looked
Upon the Saviour's cross, until I heard
Resounding there a voice. That wood divine
Then spake. . . .

I beheld the Master of mankind
Approach with lordly courage as if He
Would mount upon me, and I dared not bow
Nor break, opposing the command of God,
Although I saw earth tremble; all my foes
I might have beaten down, yet I stood fast.

Then the young Hero laid his garments by,
He that was God Almighty, strong and brave;
And boldly in the sight of all He mounted
The lofty cross, for he would free mankind.
Then, as the Man divine clasped me, I shook;
Yet dared I not bow to the earth nor fall
Upon the ground, but I must needs stand fast.
A cross upraised I lifted a great King,
Lifted the Lord of heaven; and dared not bow.
They pierced me with dark nails, and visible
Upon me still are scars, wide wounds of malice,
Yet might I injure none among them all.

They mocked us both together; then was I

All wet with his blood, which streamed from this man's side When he at length had breathed the spirit out.

'Now mayest thou know, O hero mine, beloved!
Unutterable sorrows I endured,

Base felons' work. But now hath come the time
When, far and wide, men on the earth, and all

The glorious universe doth honor me,
And to this beacon bow themselves in prayer.
On me a while suffered the Son of God;
Therefore now full of majesty I tower

High under heaven; and I have power to heal
All those who do me reverence.'

Happy in mind I prayed then to the rood With great devotion, where I was alone

Each day I longing ask:

When will the cross of Christ, which formerly

I here on earth beheld, call me away

From this my transient life, and bring me home

To all delight, the joyous harmonies

Of heaven, where sit at feast the folk of God,

And gladness knows no end.

This is an adoration of the cross that is not ceremonial or conventional, but evidently a genuine expression of personal devotion. It is of especial interest for our purpose, because it expresses and emphasizes ideas found in many stray passages elsewhere.

1

First, the idea of the brilliant appearance of the cross, shining brightly and adorned with gold and jewels. All through Anglo-Saxon literature the cross is constantly referred to as shining brightly, especially where it figures in visions; this may be due to the famous vision of Constantine, or to the presence of gorgeously adorned crosses in the church, probably both. Then, too, at the last day, the 'red rood was to shine brightly over all the earth,' as we shall see in the Christ.

I do not see the necessity of affirming, with Ebert, that the poet must have had in mind a crux stationalis or processional cross in writing this poem. The altar-cross was certainly as richly adorned as the processional cross, for that matter, although it seems unnecessary to refer the cross of this vision to any particular cross of the church service. 1Ueber das Angels. Gedicht, Der Traum vom Heiligen Kreuz. e. g. Martyrology, p. 206.