Tomb of King Alfred. 31 j

At the eaft-end of the prefent building the point a appeared to him nearly the center of the clay taken from north to fouth, of which there was about fourteen yards on each fide, viz. from a to m and m. From a eaftward to b he fuppofed twenty-four yards, and from thence the rubbifh and foundations extended fome yards farther. About d and d, there were two paths of clay nearly fix feet wide, one ending to the north in a fpot in which the clay was laid in a fquarim fhape, as in s, and about which there w r ere alfo ruins of foundations. This, I conceive, may have been the facrifty ; the other path to the fouth, at the termination of which much rubbim is to be feen (c), probably led to the cloif- ters and apartments of the monks, which in all monafteries were, I believe, uniformly to the fouth of the church. About a was alfo found a ftone coffin cafed with lead both within and without, and containing fome bones and remains of garments. The lead in its decayed ftate fold for two guineas ; the bones were thrown about, and the ftone coffin broken into pieces. There were two other coffins, and no more, found in this part, which were alfo for the fake of the garden, in which they lay, broken and buried as low as the fpring. At // there were remains of a folid bails of mafonry, and fragments of feveral fmall columns of Purbeck marble. Part of one of thefe I have obtained. It is ornamented in a fpiral direction, with two animals coupled together on one fide, and rudely carved flowers on the other. (See PI. XXII. D) May not th^s have been part of the high altar, or of the tomb of Alfred near it ? Poffibly the two other coffins contained the remains of Edward and of queen Alfwitha. Farther weft, as in gg, many ftone coffins were found, and the clay extended to o o, which is about three yards from the door of the center building of the gaol ; the fituation and number of coffins 7 . denote