This is the back of what's been described as a wooden carrel - that is, a desk for studying at. It's kind of desk-like. It's not clear how old it is, but I wonder what could be gleaned from the style and spelling of the Latin, and the ruffley nature of the sleeve?
The writing is rather hard to decipher (even if my Latin were better), but I've found a transcription here in the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine for 1860:
The author (a venerable archdeacon) sniffs at a previous writer who 'both incompletely and incorrectly transcribed' the inscription. But curiously, he himself says something inaccurate - that the two lowest labels 'proceed from the mouths of a white cock and a black cock respectively'. But there's no black bird at all, just a white one - well, a grey one really. I mean take a look for yourself, you can zoom right in to see. (Someone drew two on this depiction from 1910 - were they putting it in purely because the archdeacon had said there were two? I mean that's bizarre - believe in your own eyes, surely? Or did they never see it with their own eyes, but thought they'd better put two birds in? It's very strange.)
And another thing, it's evidently not a cock - it's profoundly pigeony. B and I debated and agreed its pigeonyness there and then in front of it. Cockerels have spurs on their feet and combs and wattles on their head. This bird has neither. I mean get a grip, it's very basic ornithology really, we don't need to call Bill Oddie or anything.
Anyway, this is what The Hand tells you, according to the board in the church. It says 'Hand of Meditation' on the cuff, and 'What thou oughtest to think upon' on the palm.
To be honest I don't like being told what to think (I'm annoying like that) and to begin with I thought the hand was going to be religious and proscriptive and annoying.
Since on the thumb it says: Thou knowest not how much / Thou knowest not how often / Thou hast offended God
But we read on:
On the index finger: Thy end is bitter / Thy life is short / Thou has come into the world / With sin
The middle finger: Thou shalt carry nothing with thee but what thou has done / Thy life thou canst not lengthen / Thy death thou canst not escape / Thou shalt die
The ring finger: Thou knowest not whither thou shalt go / Thou knowest not how thalt shall die / Thou knowest not where thou shalt die / The hour of death is uncertain
The little finger says: Thou shalt quickly be forgotten by thy friends / Thy heir will seldom do anything for thee / He to whom thou leaveth thy goods will seldom do anything for thee / Thy end is miserable
And to be honest there's no arguing with any of that (apart from the coming into the world with sin bit) - so although it was a rather depressing read, it seemed quite pragmatic and fair enough.
The pigeon (or, I might allow, it could be a dove) says: Remember thy latter end and thou shalt not sin thereafter.
And next to it: Thou shalt not be a happy man if abundance of wealth flows to thee. (B and I thought we might like a go at this just to make sure). Thou shalt not always be here; be mindful that thou shalt die. Wealth shall vanish; what thou has here, another shalt have. Thy body shall rot; what thou doest shall remain with thee.
Which again, is only common sense really. So I hope that's cheered everyone up now.
P.S. I was looking at 'Early Christian Symbolism in Great Britain and Ireland before the 13th Century', and it happened to mention how a dove is a symbol of 'the departed soul' - which would make perfect sense considering what our dove was saying. Dove it is then.
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