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in 
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Literature 
59 
one of a few rude fculptures on the abbey church, which no doubt 
belonged to the original fabric. It is not dihicult to recognife the fubject 
as Jofeph taking the Virgin Mary with her Child into Egypt; but there 
IS fomething exceedingly droll 1n the unintentional caricature of the 
faces, as Well as in the whole defign. The Virgin Mary appears without 
a nimbus, while the nimbus of the Infant Jefus is made to look very like 
a bonnet. It may be remarked that this fubjecit of the flight into Egypt 
is by no means an uncommon one in mediaeval art; and a drawing of 
the fame fubjeet, copied in my "Hifcory of Domeftic Manners and 
Sentiments" (p. 115), prefents a remarkable illuflration of the contrafl 
of the {kill of a Norman fculptor and of an almoft contemporary Anglo- 
Norman illuminator. Our cut alfo furnilhes us with evidence of the 
error of the old opinion that ladies rode aftride in the middle ages. Even 
one, who by his fcyle of art mutt have been an obfcure local carver on 
Gone, when he reprefented a female on horfeback, placed her in the 
pofxtion which has always been confidered fuitable to the fex. 
For