CHAPTER I PAGE DESCRIPTION OF THE ALFRED JEWEL 1–9 The place of its deposit 1 Structural details of the Jewel 2 The name of Alfred upon it 4 Question what this name imports _id._ Other persons bearing this name 5 The perfection of the Jewel suggested doubt 7 The firm judgement of Dr. George Hickes 8 Nevertheless, the question must be kept in view throughout this Essay 9 CHAPTER II THE EPIGRAPH OR LEGEND 10–21 The forms of the lettering 10 The Syntax of the Sentence: 12 (1) as to collocation 13 (2) usage of words _id._ (3) flexional construction 15 (4) active and passive structure 16 Other time-indications in the Epigraph 17 Quotation from Alfred’s Prologue to his _Pastoralis_ 19 Similarity between the Prologue and the Epigraph 21 CHAPTER III EARLY SPECULATIONS ABOUT ITS DESIGN AND MANNER OF USE 22–30 The Epoch of the Discovery—The Royal Society 22 The persons who first were conversant with the new-found object—Colonel Nathaniel Palmer 23 Dr. Hans Sloane—The British Museum 24 Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford _id._ First published notice of the Jewel—Dr. William Musgrave 25 Hickes’s _Thesaurus_ _id._ Variety of opinions about the Jewel _id._ Francis Wise—Samuel Pegge 27 Mr. Philip Duncan 28 St. Neot and St. Cuthbert 29 Abortiveness of these attempts 30 CHAPTER IV BISHOP CLIFFORD’S THEORY 31–43