Why flows the mournful Muse’s tear,For thee! cut down in life’s full prime?Why sighs, for thee, the parent dear!Cropt by the scythe of hoary Time?Lo! this, my Boy’s the common lot!To me thy memory entrust;When all that’s dear shall be forgot,I’ll guard thy venerable dust.From age to age, as I proclaimThy learning, piety, and truth;Thy great example shall enflame;And emulation raise in youth.
Why flows the mournful Muse’s tear,For thee! cut down in life’s full prime?Why sighs, for thee, the parent dear!Cropt by the scythe of hoary Time?Lo! this, my Boy’s the common lot!To me thy memory entrust;When all that’s dear shall be forgot,I’ll guard thy venerable dust.From age to age, as I proclaimThy learning, piety, and truth;Thy great example shall enflame;And emulation raise in youth.
Why flows the mournful Muse’s tear,For thee! cut down in life’s full prime?Why sighs, for thee, the parent dear!Cropt by the scythe of hoary Time?
Why flows the mournful Muse’s tear,
For thee! cut down in life’s full prime?
Why sighs, for thee, the parent dear!
Cropt by the scythe of hoary Time?
Lo! this, my Boy’s the common lot!To me thy memory entrust;When all that’s dear shall be forgot,I’ll guard thy venerable dust.
Lo! this, my Boy’s the common lot!
To me thy memory entrust;
When all that’s dear shall be forgot,
I’ll guard thy venerable dust.
From age to age, as I proclaimThy learning, piety, and truth;Thy great example shall enflame;And emulation raise in youth.
From age to age, as I proclaim
Thy learning, piety, and truth;
Thy great example shall enflame;
And emulation raise in youth.
56. A neat monument erected for Edward de Carteret, the son of Sir Edward de Carteret, Gentleman Usher to King Charles II. who died on the 30th of October 1677, in the eighth year of his age. It is ornamented with cherubs and with festoons of leaves and fruit.
57. The monument of Thomas Levingston, Viscount Teviot, is decorated with the arms, supporters, and crest of that nobleman, and with military trophies, alluding to his profession of a soldier. On the face of the monument is a long inscription in Latin, shewing that he was born in Holland, but descended from the Levingstons in Scotland; that from his childhood he was trained to arms; and having attended the Prince of Orange into Britain, as a Colonel of foot, rose to the rank of a Lieutenant-General in the army, and General of the Scotch forces, was made Master of the ordnance, and a Privy Counsellor; that he secured Scotland to the King by one decisive action on the Spey, for which he was advanced to the dignity of a Viscount, and that he died on the 14th of Jan. 1710, aged sixty.
58. A handsome monument erected for the Lord Constable, ornamented with a cherub below, and the family arms above. It has this short inscription:
Near this lies the Right Hon. Robert Lord Constable, Viscount Dunbar, who departed this life Nov. 23, 1714, in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
59. A plain neat monument for Peter Heylin, D.D. and Prebendary of this church, who died on the 8th of May 1662. It is adorned with a pediment, and the arms of the deceased, and contains a long inscription in Latin, mentioning the most remarkable incidents in his life.
60. The tomb of Charles Williams, Esq; adorned with very remarkable scroll-work, and scollopping; what is very singular is, its being supported by a death’s head on the wings of Time. This gentleman died on the 29th of August 1720, aged eighty-seven.
61. A small but elegant monument erected to the memory of the celebrated Henry Purcell, Esq; well known by his admirable musical compositions. The inscription consists of this short and comprehensive sentence:
Here lies Henry Purcell, who left this life,and is gone to that blessed place, whereonly his harmony can be exceeded. Hedied Nov. 21, 1697, in his 37th year.
Here lies Henry Purcell, who left this life,and is gone to that blessed place, whereonly his harmony can be exceeded. Hedied Nov. 21, 1697, in his 37th year.
Here lies Henry Purcell, who left this life,
and is gone to that blessed place, where
only his harmony can be exceeded. He
died Nov. 21, 1697, in his 37th year.
62. The next is the monument of William Croft, Doctor in music. On the pedestal is an organ in bas relief, and on the top, a bust of the deceased,
63. The tomb of John Blow, Doctor in music, is adorned with cherubs, flowers, and a canon in four parts set to music. In the center is an English inscription, by which it appears he was organist, composer, and master to the children in the chapel royal thirty-five years, and organist to this Abbey fifteen years; that he was scholar to Dr. Christopher Gibbons; and master to the famous Mr. Purcell, and to most of the eminent masters of his time. He died Oct. 1. 1708, in his sixtieth year; and his epitaph observes, that his own musical compositions, especially his church music, are a far nobler monument to his memory than any other that can be raised to him.
64. We come now to the neat and elegant monument erected to the memory of Dr. Boulter, Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. It is of the finest marble beautified with an admirable new invented polish. The bust of this worthy Archbishop is finely executed; his long flowing hair has all the gracefulness of nature, without the smallest degree of that stiffness which belongs to stone; and his venerable countenance strikes the beholder with reverence. The ensigns of his dignity wherewith the monument is adorned, are most exquisitely fine, and every part about it discovers a masterly genius in the sculptor. The inscription is inclosed in a beautiful border of porphyry, and is as follows:
Dr. Hugh Boulter, late Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of all Ireland, a Prelate so eminent for the accomplishments of his mind, the purity of his heart, and the excellence of his life, that it may be thought superfluous to specify his titles, recount his virtues, or even erect a monument to his fame. His titles he not only deserved, but adorned; his virtues are manifest in his good works, which had never dazzled the public eye, if they had not been too bright to be concealed; and as to his fame, whosoever has any sense of merit, any reverence for piety, any passion for his country, or any charity for mankind, will assist in preserving it fair and spotless, that when brass and marble shall mix with the dust they cover, every succeeding age may have the benefit of his illustrious example. He was born Jan. 4, 1671, was consecrated Bishop of Bristol, 1718, translated to the Archbishopric of Armagh, 1723, and from thence to Heaven, Sept. 27, 1742.
65. A plain table monument erected to the memory of Dr. Samuel Bradford, Bishop of Rochester, who died on the 14th of May 1731, in the seventy-ninth year of his age. It contains a long Latin inscription scarce legible, surrounded with the arms, and proper ensigns of his several dignities.
66. The next is a monument erected to the memory of Richard Kane, Esq; Governor of Minorca, adorned with a curious bust of that gentleman in white marble, placed upon a handsome pedestal, whereon are inscribed the most remarkable passages of his life. He was born at Down in Ireland, Dec. 20, 1661. In 1689 he first appeared in a military capacity at the memorable siege of Derry; and after the reduction of Ireland, followed King William into Flanders, where he distinguished himself, particularly by his intrepid behaviour at the siege of Namur, where he was grievously wounded. In 1702, he bore a commission in the service of Queen Anne, and assisted in the expedition to Canada; from whence he again returned into Flanders, and fought under the Duke of Argyle and Greenwich, and afterwards under Lord Carpenter. In 1712, he was made Sub-Governor of Minorca, through which island he caused a road to be made, which had been thought impracticable. In 1720 he was ordered by King George I. to the defence of Gibraltar, where he sustained an eight months siege against the Spaniards, when all hope of relief was extinguished. For which gallant service he was afterwards, by King George II. rewarded with the government of Minorca, where he died Dec. 19, 1736, and was buried in the castle of St. Philip.
67. The monument of Percy Kirk, Esq; is adorned with a fine bust of that gentleman, on each side of which is a winged seraph, one with a dagger in his right hand inverted, and in his left a helmet; the other resting on a ball, and holding in his left hand a torch reversed. The inscription lets us know, that he was Lieutenant-General of his Majesty’s armies; that he was son to Percy Kirk, Lieutenant-General in the reign of King James II. by the Lady Mary, daughter to George Howard Earl of Suffolk, and that he died Jan. 1, 1741, aged fifty-seven.
68. We come now to the monument erected to the memory of that brave commander the Lord Aubrey Beauclerk, ornamented with arms, trophies, and naval ensigns, and in an oval nich on a beautiful pyramid of dove-coloured marble, is a fine bust of that young Hero. On this pyramid is the following historical inscription:
The Lord Aubrey Beauclerk was the youngest son of Charles Duke of St. Albans, by Diana, daughter of Aubrey de Vere Earl of Oxford. He went early to sea, and was made a commander in 1731. In 1740, he was sent upon that memorable expedition to Carthagena, under the command of Admiral Vernon, in his Majesty’s ship the Prince Frederic, which, with three others, was ordered to cannonade the castle of Boccachica. One of these being obliged to quit her station, the Prince Frederic was exposed, not only to the fire from the castle, but to that of Fort St. Joseph, and to two ships that guarded the mouth of the harbour, which he sustained for many hours that day, and part of the next, with uncommon intrepidity. As he was giving his commands upon deck, both his legs were shot off; but such was his magnanimity, that he would not suffer his wounds to be drest, till he communicated his orders to his first Lieutenant, which were,To fight his ship to the last extremity. Soon after this he gave some directions about his private affairs, and then resigned his soul with the dignity of a Hero and a Christian. Thus was he taken off in the thirty-first year of his age, an illustrious commander of superior fortitude and clemency, amiable in his person, steady in his affections, and equalled by few in the social and domestic virtues of politeness, modesty, candour, and benevolence. He married the widow of Col. Francis Alexander, a daughter of Sir Henry Newton, Knt. Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Florence and the Republic of Genoa, and Judge of the high court of Admiralty.
Over his inscription is the following epitaph:
Whilst Britain boasts her Empire o’er the deep,This marble shall compel the brave to weep;As men, as Britons, and as soldiers mourn:’Tis dauntless, loyal, virtuous Beauclerk’s urn.Sweet were his manners, as his soul was great,And ripe his worth, tho’ immature his fate;Each tender grace that joy and love inspires,Living, he mingled with his martial fires;Dying, he bid Britannia’s thunder roar,And Spain still felt him, when he breath’d no more.
Whilst Britain boasts her Empire o’er the deep,This marble shall compel the brave to weep;As men, as Britons, and as soldiers mourn:’Tis dauntless, loyal, virtuous Beauclerk’s urn.Sweet were his manners, as his soul was great,And ripe his worth, tho’ immature his fate;Each tender grace that joy and love inspires,Living, he mingled with his martial fires;Dying, he bid Britannia’s thunder roar,And Spain still felt him, when he breath’d no more.
Whilst Britain boasts her Empire o’er the deep,This marble shall compel the brave to weep;As men, as Britons, and as soldiers mourn:’Tis dauntless, loyal, virtuous Beauclerk’s urn.Sweet were his manners, as his soul was great,And ripe his worth, tho’ immature his fate;Each tender grace that joy and love inspires,Living, he mingled with his martial fires;Dying, he bid Britannia’s thunder roar,And Spain still felt him, when he breath’d no more.
Whilst Britain boasts her Empire o’er the deep,
This marble shall compel the brave to weep;
As men, as Britons, and as soldiers mourn:
’Tis dauntless, loyal, virtuous Beauclerk’s urn.
Sweet were his manners, as his soul was great,
And ripe his worth, tho’ immature his fate;
Each tender grace that joy and love inspires,
Living, he mingled with his martial fires;
Dying, he bid Britannia’s thunder roar,
And Spain still felt him, when he breath’d no more.
69. A beautiful monument erected to the memory of Admiral Balchen, on which is his bust well executed in the finest white marble. The enrichments, arms and trophies, are admirably wrought, but in fastening the cable to the anchor this excellent artist has shewn that he is no mariner. In the front is a fine representation of a ship in a storm. The inscription is as follows:
To the memory of Sir John Balchen, Knt. Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty’s fleet in 1744, being sent out Commander in chief of the combined fleets of England and Holland, to cruize on the enemy, was on his return home in his Majesty’s ship the Victory, lost in the Channel by a violent storm; from which sad circumstance of his death we may learn, that neither the greatest skill, judgment, or experience, joined to the most firm unshaken resolution, can resist the fury of the winds and waves; and we are taught from the passages of his life, which were filled with great and gallant actions, but ever accompanied with adverse gales of fortune, that the brave, the worthy and the good man, meets not always his reward in this world. Fifty-eight years of faithful and painful services he had passed, when being just retired to the government of Greenwich Hospital to wear out the remainder of his days, he was once more, and for the last time, called out by his King and Country, whose interest he ever preferred to his own, and his unwearied zeal for their service ended only in his death; which weighty misfortune to his afflicted family became heightened by many aggravating circumstances attending it; yet amidst their grief had they the mournful consolation to find his gracious and royal Master mixing his concern with the general lamentations of the public, for the calamitous fate of so zealous, so valiant, and so able a Commander; and as a lasting memorial of the sincere love and esteem borne by his widow, to a most affectionate and worthy husband, this honorary monument was erected by her. He was born Feb. 2, 1669, married Susannah, daughter of Col. Apreece of Washingly in the County of Huntingdon. Died Oct. 7, 1744, leaving one son and one daughter, the former of whom, George Balchen, survived him but a short time; for being sent to the West Indies in 1745, Commander of his Majesty’s ship the Pembroke, he died in Barbadoes in December the same year, aged 28, having walked in the steps, and imitated the virtue and bravery of his good, but unfortunate father.
70. A noble and elegant monument erected in honour of General Guest. It is adorned with a pyramid and base of the most beautiful Egyptian porphyry, ornamented with the finest enrichments, and on the latter is an admirable bust of the General of white marble. The whole is executed in the most delicate and masterly manner. It has this short, but apposite inscription:
Sacred to those virtues that adorn a Christian and a Soldier, this marble perpetuates the memory of Lieut. Gen. Joshua Guest, who closed a service of sixty years by faithfully defending Edinburgh castle against the Rebels, 1745.
71. The next worthy of notice is the elegant monument of Sir Charles Wager. The principal figure here is that of Fame holding a portrait of Sir Charles in relief, which is also supported by an infant Hercules. The enrichments are naval trophies, instruments of war and navigation, &c. on the base is represented in relief the destroying and taking of the Spanish galleons in 1708, The inscription is as follows:
To the memory of SirCharles Wager, Knt.Admiral of the White, first Commissioner of the Admiralty,And Privy Counsellor;A man of great natural talents,Who bore the highest commands,And pass’d through the greatest employments,With credit to himself, and honour to his country.He was in private lifeHumane, temperate, just, and bountiful:In public station,Valiant, prudent, wise, and honest:Easy of access to all;Plain and unaffected in his manners,Steady and resolute in his conduct:So remarkably happy in his presence of mind,That no danger ever discompos’d him;Esteemed and favoured by his King;Beloved and honoured by his Country.He died 24 May 1743. Aged 77.
To the memory of SirCharles Wager, Knt.Admiral of the White, first Commissioner of the Admiralty,And Privy Counsellor;A man of great natural talents,Who bore the highest commands,And pass’d through the greatest employments,With credit to himself, and honour to his country.He was in private lifeHumane, temperate, just, and bountiful:In public station,Valiant, prudent, wise, and honest:Easy of access to all;Plain and unaffected in his manners,Steady and resolute in his conduct:So remarkably happy in his presence of mind,That no danger ever discompos’d him;Esteemed and favoured by his King;Beloved and honoured by his Country.He died 24 May 1743. Aged 77.
To the memory of SirCharles Wager, Knt.
Admiral of the White, first Commissioner of the Admiralty,
And Privy Counsellor;
A man of great natural talents,
Who bore the highest commands,
And pass’d through the greatest employments,
With credit to himself, and honour to his country.
He was in private life
Humane, temperate, just, and bountiful:
In public station,
Valiant, prudent, wise, and honest:
Easy of access to all;
Plain and unaffected in his manners,
Steady and resolute in his conduct:
So remarkably happy in his presence of mind,
That no danger ever discompos’d him;
Esteemed and favoured by his King;
Beloved and honoured by his Country.
He died 24 May 1743. Aged 77.
72. The next tomb in the Abbey that demands our attention, is that erected to the memory of John Hollis Duke of Newcastle, by his daughter the Countess of Oxford. This is perhaps the loftiest and most costly of any in the Abbey. A pediment is supported by beautiful columns of variegated marble. The Duke is represented resting upon a sepulchral monument, holding in his right hand a General’s staff, and in his left a ducal coronet. On one side the base stands a statue of Wisdom, on the other, of Sincerity. On the angles of the upper compartment sit angels, and on the ascending sides of the pediment sit two cherubs, one with an hour-glass, alluding to the admeasurement of man’s life by grains of sand; the other pointing upwards, where life shall no longer be measured by hours and minutes. On the base is an inscription enumerating his Grace’s titles, and several employments; his marriage and issue; and informing us that he was born Jan. 9, 1661–2, and died July 15, 1711.
73. The monument of William Cavendish Duke of Newcastle is also very pompous, but is in the old taste. Under a rich canopy of state lie, as the inscription expresses it, “The loyal Duke of Newcastle, and his Duchess, his second wife, by whom he had no issue: her name was Margaret Lucas, youngest sister to Lord Lucas of Colchester, a noble family; for all the brothers were valiant, and all the sisters virtuous. The Duchess was a wise, witty, and learned Lady, which her many books do well testify: She was a most virtuous, and a loving and careful wife, and was with her Lord all the time of his banishment and miseries; and when he came home, never parted from him in his solitary retirements.” This is the English inscription. The Latin gives his titles and employments; and observes, that for his fidelity to King Charles I. he was made Captain-General of the forces raised for his service in the North, fought many battles, and generally came off victorious; but that when the rebels prevailed (being one of the first designed a sacrifice) he left his estate, and endured a long exile. It then gives his issue by his first wife, and concludes with observing, that he died Dec. 27, 1676, in his eighty-fourth year.
74. On the adjoining pillar is a neat tablet, on which is this inscription:
Grace, eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Mauleverer of Allerton Mauleverer in Yorkshire, Bart. born 1622, married unto Col. Scott, a member of the Hon. House of Commons 1644, and died Feb. 24, 1645.
He that will give myGracebut what is hers,Must say her death has notMade only her dearScott,But Virtue, Worth, and Sweetness, widowers.
He that will give myGracebut what is hers,Must say her death has notMade only her dearScott,But Virtue, Worth, and Sweetness, widowers.
He that will give myGracebut what is hers,Must say her death has notMade only her dearScott,But Virtue, Worth, and Sweetness, widowers.
He that will give myGracebut what is hers,
Must say her death has not
Made only her dearScott,
But Virtue, Worth, and Sweetness, widowers.
75. The monument of Dame Mary James is neatly ornamented with an urn, wreathed and crowned with a Viscount’s coronet, on a handsome pedestal The inscription observes that this Lady was wife to Sir John James, of the ancient family of the Lords of Hostrick in Holland, and that she died Nov. 6, 1667.
76. A magnificent and elegant monument of white marble to the memory of Sir Peter Warren, done by Roubiliac. Close to the wall is a large flag hanging to the flag-staff, and spreading in very natural folds behind the whole monument. Before it is a fine figure of Hercules placing Sir Peter’s bust on its pedestal; and on the other side, Victory, with a laurel wreath in her hand, is seated gazing on the bust with a look of melancholy mixed with admiration. Behind her a Cornucopia pours out fruit, corn, the fleece, &c. and by it is a cannon, an anchor, and other decorations. The inscription is as follows:
Sacred to the memoryOf SirPeter Warren,Knight of the Bath,Vice-Admiral of the Red SquadronOf the British Fleet,And Member of ParliamentFor the City and Liberty of Westminster.
Sacred to the memoryOf SirPeter Warren,Knight of the Bath,Vice-Admiral of the Red SquadronOf the British Fleet,And Member of ParliamentFor the City and Liberty of Westminster.
Sacred to the memory
Of SirPeter Warren,
Knight of the Bath,
Vice-Admiral of the Red Squadron
Of the British Fleet,
And Member of Parliament
For the City and Liberty of Westminster.
And a little lower:
He derived his descent from an ancient Family ofIreland,His fame and honours from his virtues and abilities.How eminently these were displayed,With what vigilance and spirit they were exerted,In the various services wherein he had the honour to command,And the happiness to conquer,Will be more properly recorded in the annals ofGREAT BRITAIN.On this tablet, affection with truth may say,That deservedly esteemed in private life,And universally renowned for his public conduct,The judicious and gallant officerPossessed all the amiable qualities of the Friend,The Gentleman, and the Christian.But the ALMIGHTY,Whom alone he feared,And whose gracious protection he had often experienced,Was pleased to remove him from a life of honourTo an eternity of happiness,On the 29th day of July 1752, in the 49th year of his age.
He derived his descent from an ancient Family ofIreland,His fame and honours from his virtues and abilities.How eminently these were displayed,With what vigilance and spirit they were exerted,In the various services wherein he had the honour to command,And the happiness to conquer,Will be more properly recorded in the annals ofGREAT BRITAIN.On this tablet, affection with truth may say,That deservedly esteemed in private life,And universally renowned for his public conduct,The judicious and gallant officerPossessed all the amiable qualities of the Friend,The Gentleman, and the Christian.But the ALMIGHTY,Whom alone he feared,And whose gracious protection he had often experienced,Was pleased to remove him from a life of honourTo an eternity of happiness,On the 29th day of July 1752, in the 49th year of his age.
He derived his descent from an ancient Family ofIreland,
His fame and honours from his virtues and abilities.
How eminently these were displayed,
With what vigilance and spirit they were exerted,
In the various services wherein he had the honour to command,
And the happiness to conquer,
Will be more properly recorded in the annals of
GREAT BRITAIN.
On this tablet, affection with truth may say,
That deservedly esteemed in private life,
And universally renowned for his public conduct,
The judicious and gallant officer
Possessed all the amiable qualities of the Friend,
The Gentleman, and the Christian.
But the ALMIGHTY,
Whom alone he feared,
And whose gracious protection he had often experienced,
Was pleased to remove him from a life of honour
To an eternity of happiness,
On the 29th day of July 1752, in the 49th year of his age.
On the bottom of the base:
Susannah, his afflicted wife, caused this monumentto be erected.
Susannah, his afflicted wife, caused this monumentto be erected.
Susannah, his afflicted wife, caused this monument
to be erected.
77. The monument inscribed to the memory of Sir Gilbert Lort, of Stackpole in Pembrokeshire, who died Sept. 19, 1698, was erected to his memory by his sister Dame Elizabeth Campbell of Calder in Scotland. The author ofThe Review of the public buildings, &c. observes, that the two boys here placed on each side a little tomb, are in a very pretty taste, and a perfect contrast to each other; one representing passionate, exclamatory grief, and the other still and silent; and adds, “’Tis pity they are divided by so bad an ornament in the middle: had they leaned on a single urn, which, in the antique taste, might have been supposed to hold his ashes, they would have had a fine effect, and challenged more admiration than many a more pompous and expensive pile.”
78. The monument erected to Hugh Chamberlayne, M.D. was some years ago esteemed one of the best pieces in the Abbey; but some of the later monuments greatly exceed it. The principal figure lies, as it were, at ease, upon a tomb stone, leaning upon his right arm, with his hand upon his night cap, and his head uncovered. In his left hand, he holds a book, to shew his intense application to study. On each side are the emblems of Physic and Longevity; and over his head, is Fame descending with a trumpet in one hand, and a wreath in the other. On the top are weeping cherubs, and on the pedestal a long Latin inscription, which mentions his great knowledge and industry in his profession, his humanity in relieving the sick, and his affinities and connections in social and private life. He died June 17, 1728, aged sixty-four.
79. The tomb of Almericus de Courcy, Baron of Kinsale, in Ireland, is ornamented with the figure of his Lordship in armour, reposing himself after the fatigues of an active life, under a gilded canopy. The inscription shews, that he was descended from the famous John de Courcy, Earl of Ulster, who in the reign of King John, in consideration of his great valour, obtained the extraordinary privilege for him and his heirs, of being covered in the King’s presence. Almericus de Courcy died Feb. 9, 1719, aged fifty-seven.
80. The monument of Sir Thomas Duppa is adorned with flowers and foliage, and on the top with an urn wreathed. The inscription shews, that Sir Thomas in his youth waited upon King Charles II. when Prince of Wales, and at length became Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, in which office he died April 25, 1694, aged 75.
81. We come now to a monument that has been much admired, and as much censured, that of Dame Elizabeth Carteret, who died on the 26th of March, 1717, aged fifty-two. This Lady is represented springing upwards, with only one foot fixed to the earth, and a little winged seraph descending to receive her; but the disproportions are so great between them, that one cannot help thinking, that it is much more likely she should pull the aerial messenger down, than he raise her one inch from the ground; but what is still worse, her attitude is such, that it is impossible she should know that he is coming to give her a lift. Below her hovering on the base, is another of these heavenly spirits unfolding a very indifferent epitaph.
82. We come now to the grand and magnificent monument of the great Sir Isaac Newton, whose statue is formed recumbent, leaning his right arm on four folios, thus titledDivinity,Chronology,Optics, andPhil: Prin: Math:and pointing to a scroll supported by cherubs. Over him is a large globe projecting from a pyramid behind, whereon is delineated the course of the comet in 1680, with the signs, constellations and planets. On this globe sits the figure of Astronomy, with her book closed, in a very thoughtful composed and pensive mood. Beneath the principal figure is a very fine bas relief, representing the various labours in which Sir Isaac chiefly employed his time: such as discovering the cause of gravitation, settling the principles of light and colours, and reducing the coinage to a determined standard. The inscription on the pedestal is in Latin, short, but full of meaning, intimating, that by a spirit nearly divine, he solved on principles of his own, the motion and figure of the planets, the paths of the comets, and the ebbing and flowing of the sea; that he discovered the dissimularity of the rays of light, and the properties of colours from thence arising, which none but himself had ever dreamt of; that he was a diligent, wise and faithful interpreter of nature, antiquity, and the holy scriptures; that by his philosophy he maintained the dignity of the Supreme Being; and by the purity of his life, the simplicity of the gospel; and it concludes with a just exclamation, What reason have mortals to pride themselves in the existence of so great an ornament to the human race! He was born Dec. 25, 1642, and died in 1726.
So noble a monument erected to real merit, is a greater honour to the nation than to the great genius for whom it was raised; in this light it is viewed by all Europe.
83. On the other side of the entrance into the choir is another lofty and pompous monument. This last was erected to the memory of Earl Stanhope, who is also represented leaning upon his arm in a recumbent posture, holding in his right hand a General’s staff, and in his left a parchment scroll. Before him stands a cupid resting upon a shield. Over a martial tent sits Minerva, holding in her right hand a javelin, and in the other a scroll. Behind is a slender pyramid. On the middle of the pedestal are two medalions, and on each side the pilasters one. In short, under the principal figure is a Latin inscription, displaying the merits of this great man, as a soldier, a statesman, and a senator: observing, that in 1707, he concluded an advantageous peace with Spain; and the same year was sent Embassador to Charles III. In 1708, he took Port Mahon: In 1710, he forced his way to the gates of Madrid, and took possession of that capital: In 1715, being of the Secret Committee, he impeached the Duke of Ormond. In 1717 he was made first Commissioner of the treasury, and Chancellor of the exchequer; and in July following was created a Peer. He died in 1721, in the forty-seventh year of his age.
84. Mr. Thynne’s monument has always been esteemed a very fine one. That gentleman is represented dying, and at his feet is a boy weeping. Underneath on a table of black marble in white letters is this short inscription:
Thomas Thynne of Longleate in Com. Wilts, Esq; who was barbarously murdered on Sunday the 12th of February, 1682.
And upon the pedestal the story of his murder is finely represented in relief.
This last observation makes it necessary to give the particulars of this murder, which we shall do from a very accurate, tho’ small work, from which we have obtained considerable assistance in the description of many things relating to the Abbey. The above murder was conspired by Count Koningsmark, and executed by three assassins hired for that purpose, who shot this unhappy gentleman in Pall-Mall, in his own coach. The motive was, to obtain the rich heiress of Northumberland in marriage, who in her infancy had been betrothed to the Earl of Ogle, but left a widow before consummation; and afterwards married to Mr. Thynne; but being scarce fifteen, and her mother extremely tender of her, and at the same time desirous of her having issue, prevailed upon her husband to travel another year before he bedded her, in which time she became acquainted with Koningsmark at the Court of Hanover. Whether she had ever given him any countenance is uncertain; but having no grounds to hope to obtain her while her husband lived, he in this villainous manner accomplished his death: the Lady, however, detested this base and inhuman conduct, and soon after married the great Duke of Somerset.—At the time this happened, a report was spread that Mr. Thynne had formerly debauched a woman of family and character, on honourable pretences; but upon his uncle’s leaving him 10,000l.a year; he basely deserted her; whence arose the saying, thathe had escaped his misfortune, if he had either married the Lady he had lain with, or lain with the Lady he had married. But we do not pretend to insinuate that there was any truth in this story. It may probably be only a cruel piece of defamation.Historical Description of Westminster Abbey.
85. The monument of Dame Grace Gethin, is ornamented with a figure of a Lady devoutly kneeling, with a book in her right hand, and her left on her breast; on each side is an angel, one holding over her head a crown, and the other a chaplet; and on the ascending sides of the pediment are two female figures in a mournful posture. It is adorned with three different coats of family arms, and on the base is an English inscription, which also lets us know that she was married to Sir Richard Gethin of Gethin Grott in Ireland; was famed for her exemplary piety, and wrote a book of devotions, which Mr. Congreve has complimented with a poem. She died Oct. 11, 1697, aged twenty-one.
86. A monument erected to the memory of two sisters, the daughters of Ralph Freke of Hannington in Wilts, Esq; whose busts in relief ornament the sides. The inscription observes, that the eldest, named Elizabeth, was married to Percey Freke of West Bilney in Norfolk, and died on the 7th of April 1714; that Judith the youngest married Robert Austin of Tenterden in Kent, and died May 19, 1716: and that they were both the best of daughters, the best of wives, and the best of mothers.
87. A large monument of black marble erected to the memory of Sir Thomas Richardson, Lord Chief Justice of England in the reign of King Charles I. He died in 1634, and his tomb is adorned with his effigy in brass, lying in his robes, and his collar of S S.
88. An ancient monument raised to the memory of William Thynne of Botterville, Esq.; it is of marble and alabaster gilt, and is adorned with the statue of that gentleman lying at full length. The inscription informs us, that he was a polite gentleman, a great traveller, and a brave soldier, and that he died on the 14th of March 1584.
89. A very handsome monument erected for that learned grammarian Dr. Busby, master of Westminster school; who is represented in his gown, looking earnestly at the inscription; holding in his right hand a pen, and in his left a book open. Upon the pedestal underneath are a variety of books, and at the top is his family arms. The inscription is a very elegant one, and intimates whatsoever fame the school of Westminster boasts, and whatever advantages mankind shall reap from thence in future times, are all principally owing to the wise institutions of this gentleman, who was born at Lutton in Lincolnshire, Sept. 22, 1606, and after being made Master of Westminster college was elected Prebendary of Westminster, and Treasurer of Wells. He died April 5, 1695.
90. The next monument, is that erected to the memory of Robert South, D.D. who is represented in a recumbent posture in his canonical habit, with his arm resting on a cushion, and his right hand on a death’s head. In his left he holds a book with his finger between the leaves, as if just closed from reading, and over his head is a group of cherubs issuing from a mantling. This monument is however very badly executed, and the statue is clumsy and unmeaning. It has a long Latin inscription, shewing that this celebrated divine was scholar to Dr. Busby, and student at Christ Church, Oxford; that by the patronage of the Lord Clarendon he was made Prebendary both of Westminster and Christ Church, and afterwards rector of Islip, where he rebuilt the parsonage house, and founded and endowed a school for the education of poor children. He died on the 8th of July 1718, aged eighty-two.
The Monuments in the Cloisters.The most ancient of these are towards the east end of the south walk, where lie the remains of four Abbots marked in the pavement by four stones.
The first of these covers the Abbot Vitales, who died in 1082, and was formerly covered with brass plates.
The second is of grey marble, to the memory of Gislebertus Crispinus, who died in 1114, and whose effigies may still be traced on the stone.
Under the third, which is a raised stone of Sussex marble, lies the Abbot Laurentius, who died in 1176, and is said to be the first who obtained from Pope Alexander III. the privilege of using the mitre, ring and globe.
The last is of black marble, and covers the ashes of Gervasius de Blois, who was natural son to King Stephen, and died in 1166. This is called Long Meg, from its extraordinary length, it being eleven feet eight inches. All these seem to have had their names and dates cut afresh.
In the east walk is a handsome monument erected to the memory of Daniel Pulteney, Esq; facing those of the above Abbots; the inscription on which is much admired for the purity of the diction, and its propriety and elegance, and is as follows:
Reader,If thou art aBriton,Behold this tomb with reverence and regret.Here lieth the remains ofDaniel Pulteney,The kindest relation, the truest friend,The warmest patriot, the worthiest man;He exercised virtues in this age,Sufficient to have distinguished him even in the best.Sagacious by nature,Industrious by habit,Inquisitive with art,He gain’d a compleat knowledge of the state of Britain,Foreign and domestic.In most the backward fruit of tedious experience,In him the early acquisition of undissipated youth.He served the court several years:Abroad in the auspicious reign of Queen Anne,At home, in the reign of that excellent Prince K. George the First.He served his country always,At court independent,In the senate unbiass’d,At every age, and in every station:This was the bent of his generous soul,This was the business of his laborious life.Public men, and public things,He judged by one constant standard,The true interest of Britain;He made no other distinction of party,He abhorred all other:Gentle, humane, disinterested, beneficent,He created no enemies on his own account:Firm, determined, inflexible,He feared none he could create in the cause of Britain.Reader,In this misfortune of thy country, lament thy own:For knowThe loss of so much private virtueIs a public calamity.
Reader,If thou art aBriton,Behold this tomb with reverence and regret.Here lieth the remains ofDaniel Pulteney,The kindest relation, the truest friend,The warmest patriot, the worthiest man;He exercised virtues in this age,Sufficient to have distinguished him even in the best.Sagacious by nature,Industrious by habit,Inquisitive with art,He gain’d a compleat knowledge of the state of Britain,Foreign and domestic.In most the backward fruit of tedious experience,In him the early acquisition of undissipated youth.He served the court several years:Abroad in the auspicious reign of Queen Anne,At home, in the reign of that excellent Prince K. George the First.He served his country always,At court independent,In the senate unbiass’d,At every age, and in every station:This was the bent of his generous soul,This was the business of his laborious life.Public men, and public things,He judged by one constant standard,The true interest of Britain;He made no other distinction of party,He abhorred all other:Gentle, humane, disinterested, beneficent,He created no enemies on his own account:Firm, determined, inflexible,He feared none he could create in the cause of Britain.Reader,In this misfortune of thy country, lament thy own:For knowThe loss of so much private virtueIs a public calamity.
Reader,
If thou art aBriton,
Behold this tomb with reverence and regret.
Here lieth the remains of
Daniel Pulteney,
The kindest relation, the truest friend,
The warmest patriot, the worthiest man;
He exercised virtues in this age,
Sufficient to have distinguished him even in the best.
Sagacious by nature,
Industrious by habit,
Inquisitive with art,
He gain’d a compleat knowledge of the state of Britain,
Foreign and domestic.
In most the backward fruit of tedious experience,
In him the early acquisition of undissipated youth.
He served the court several years:
Abroad in the auspicious reign of Queen Anne,
At home, in the reign of that excellent Prince K. George the First.
He served his country always,
At court independent,
In the senate unbiass’d,
At every age, and in every station:
This was the bent of his generous soul,
This was the business of his laborious life.
Public men, and public things,
He judged by one constant standard,
The true interest of Britain;
He made no other distinction of party,
He abhorred all other:
Gentle, humane, disinterested, beneficent,
He created no enemies on his own account:
Firm, determined, inflexible,
He feared none he could create in the cause of Britain.
Reader,
In this misfortune of thy country, lament thy own:
For know
The loss of so much private virtue
Is a public calamity.
Almost at the end of the north east walk is a monument against the Abbey wall to the memory of the Rev. Mr. William Laurence, the inscription on which is remarkable for its quaintness, and is as follows:
With diligence and trust exemplary,Did William Laurence serve a Prebendary;And for his pains, now past, before not lost,Gain’d this remembrance at his master’s cost.O! read these lines again, you seldom findA servant faithful, and his master kind.Short-hand he wrote, his flower in prime did fade,And hasty death short hand of him hath made.Well couth he numbers, and well measur’d land,Thus doth he now that ground whereon we stand,Whereon he lies so geometrical,Art maketh some, but thus will Nature all.Ob. Dec. 28. 1621. Ætat. 29.
With diligence and trust exemplary,Did William Laurence serve a Prebendary;And for his pains, now past, before not lost,Gain’d this remembrance at his master’s cost.O! read these lines again, you seldom findA servant faithful, and his master kind.Short-hand he wrote, his flower in prime did fade,And hasty death short hand of him hath made.Well couth he numbers, and well measur’d land,Thus doth he now that ground whereon we stand,Whereon he lies so geometrical,Art maketh some, but thus will Nature all.Ob. Dec. 28. 1621. Ætat. 29.
With diligence and trust exemplary,Did William Laurence serve a Prebendary;And for his pains, now past, before not lost,Gain’d this remembrance at his master’s cost.O! read these lines again, you seldom findA servant faithful, and his master kind.Short-hand he wrote, his flower in prime did fade,And hasty death short hand of him hath made.Well couth he numbers, and well measur’d land,Thus doth he now that ground whereon we stand,Whereon he lies so geometrical,Art maketh some, but thus will Nature all.Ob. Dec. 28. 1621. Ætat. 29.
With diligence and trust exemplary,
Did William Laurence serve a Prebendary;
And for his pains, now past, before not lost,
Gain’d this remembrance at his master’s cost.
O! read these lines again, you seldom find
A servant faithful, and his master kind.
Short-hand he wrote, his flower in prime did fade,
And hasty death short hand of him hath made.
Well couth he numbers, and well measur’d land,
Thus doth he now that ground whereon we stand,
Whereon he lies so geometrical,
Art maketh some, but thus will Nature all.
Ob. Dec. 28. 1621. Ætat. 29.
S. Wale delin.E. Rooker sc.Henry the Seventh’s Chapel.
S. Wale delin.E. Rooker sc.Henry the Seventh’s Chapel.
S. Wale delin.E. Rooker sc.Henry the Seventh’s Chapel.
Henry the Seventh’s Chapel.As this is a separate building from Westminster Abbey, we did not think proper to confound it with the other chapels; and as it is joined to the Abbey, we did not chuse to render it so distinct an article as it would have been, had we given it the place it would have demanded in the order of the alphabet. It is to be examined at the same time with that edifice, and we have followed the example of the architect in uniting them.
This chapel, which was founded by Henry VII. in the year 1502, and the succeeding years, is styled by Leland the wonder of the world. It is situated to the east of the Abbey, to which it is so neatly joined, that on a superficial view it appears to be one and the same building. It is supported by fourteen Gothic buttresses, all beautifully ornamented, and projecting from the building in different angles, and is enlightened by a double range of windows that throw the light into such a happy disposition as at once to please the eye, and afford a kind of solemn gloom. These buttresses extend up to the roof, and are made to strengthen it by their being crowned with Gothic arches. In these buttresses are niches, in which formerly stood a number of statues; but these being greatly decayed, have been long taken down.
This chapel is one of the most expensive remains of the ancient English taste and magnificence; there is no looking upon it without admiration: yet, perhaps, its beauty consists much more eminently in the workmanship than the contrivance. The plate shews the outside, where it joins to the Abbey, and gives some idea of the fine taste of Gothic architecture in that age, which seems to have been its meridian; but it soon fell into the bad taste practised in the time of Queen Elizabeth, as may be seen in the tomb of this Queen and her predecessor in the side aisles of this chapel.
This may be sufficient for the outside of this edifice, the entrance to which is from the east end of the Abbey, by a flight of steps of black marble, under a very noble arch, that leads to the gates opening to the body or nave of the chapel: for, like a cathedral it is divided into a nave and side isles, to which you may enter by a door on each hand. The gates at the entrance of the nave are of brass curiously wrought in the manner of frame work, and have in every other open pannel a rose and portcullis alternately.
Being entered, the eye is naturally directed to the lofty ceiling, in the most admirable manner wrought with such an astonishing variety of figures as is impossible to be described. The stalls on each side are of oak, with Gothic canopies, most beautifully carved, as are also the seats; and the pavement is of black and white marble, laid at the charge of Dr. Killigrew, once Prebendary of this Abbey. The east view from the entrance presents you with the brass chapel and tomb of the founder, which will be hereafter described, and round it where the east end forms a semicircle, are the chapels of the Dukes of Buckingham and Richmond. At that end the side isles open to the nave. It must not be omitted, that the walls both of the nave and the side isles are adorned with the most curious imagery imaginable, and contain an hundred and twenty statues of patriarchs, saints, martyrs and confessors, under which are angels supporting imperial crowns, besides innumerable small ones, all of them esteemed so curious, that the best masters are said to have travelled from abroad to copy them. The roof of the side isles is flattish, and supported on arches between the nave and side isles turning upon twelve stately Gothic pillars, curiously adorned with figures, fruitage and foliage. The windows, besides a spacious one at the east end, are thirteen on each side above and as many below, and were formerly painted, having in each pane a white rose, the badge of the house of Lancaster, aBthe initial letter of the founder’s name, or portcullises crowned, the badge of the Beaufort’s family, of which there are some now remaining.
This chapel was originally designed as a sepulchre appropriated solely to the use of those of royal blood; and so far has the will of the founder been observed, that none have been yet interred there, but those of high quality, whose descent may generally be traced from some of our ancient Kings: I shall therefore mention each of these tombs, beginning with that which is the most ancient, as well as the most astonishing.
It has been already observed, that in the middle of the east end of the nave is situated the magnificent tomb of Henry VII. this is enclosed with a screen of cast brass, most admirably designed, and executed; this screen is nineteen feet in length, eleven in breadth, and the same in height. It is ornamented with statues, of which those only of St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. George, and St. Edward, are now remaining; and also adorned with other devices alluding to King Henry the Seventh’s family; as portcullises, signifying his relation to the Beaufort’s by his mother’s side; roses twisted and crowned, in memory of the union of the two houses of Lancaster and York, by his marriage; and at each end a crown in a bush, alluding to the crown of Richard III. found in a hawthorn bush, near Bosworth field, where the famous battle was fought in which Richard lost his life. Within the rails are the effigies of the royal pair, in their robes of state, on a tomb of black marble, the head whereof is supported by a red dragon the ensign of Cadwalladar, from whom King Henry VII. was fond of tracing his descent, and the foot by an angel.
At the head of this tomb lie the remains of Edward VI. grandson to Henry VII. who died in the sixteenth year of his age, and the seventh of his reign. A fine monument was erected to his memory by Queen Mary, his sister and successor; it was adorned with curious sculpture representing the passion and resurrection of our Saviour; with two angels on the top kneeling; and the whole elegantly finished; but it was afterwards demolished as a relict of Popish superstition.
On one side of Henry the Seventh’s tomb in a small chapel, in which is the monument of Lewis Stuart Duke of Richmond, and Frances his wife; whose statues in cast brass are represented lying on a marble table under a canopy of brass curiously wrought, and supported by the figures of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Prudence; and on the top is a figure of Fame taking her flight, and resting only on her toe.
On the north side of Henry the Seventh’s tomb is a monument decorated with several emblematical figures in brass gilt; the principal is Neptune in a pensive posture with his trident reversed, and Mars with his head crushed; these support the tomb on which lie the effigies of George Villars Duke of Buckingham, the great favourite of King James I. and King Charles I. who fell a sacrifice to the national resentment by the hand of Felton. His Grace married Catharine, daughter to the Earl of Rutland, who erected this monument to his memory, and lies in effigy on the same tomb by his side. The Latin inscription, after recounting his noble qualities, and high titles, alludes to the story of his death.
Of a later date, and superior in point of design and workmanship, is a noble monument erected to the memory of John Sheffield Duke of Buckingham, where his Grace’s statue in a Roman habit, is laid in a half raised posture on an altar of fine marble: his Duchess is represented standing at his feet weeping. On each side are military trophies; and over all an admirable figure of Time holding several medallions representing the heads of their Graces children. This monument is very justly admired. It has been observed, that the Duke himself appears the principal figure in the group, and though he lies in a recumbent posture, and his Lady is in the most beautiful manner placed at his feet, yet her figure is so characterized, as to be only a guide to his, and both reflect back a beauty on each other. The decorations are allowed to be extremely picturesque and elegant; the trophies at his head, the figure of Time above, with the medallions of his children, fill up all the spaces with such propriety, that little could be added, and nothing appears superfluous. The inscription sets forth the Duke of Buckingham’s posts, and his qualifications as a good poet, and a fine writer; and over his statue is inscribed in Latin sentences to the following purpose:
I lived doubtful, not dissolute.I die unresolved, not unresigned.Ignorance and error are incident to human nature.I trust in an Almighty and All-good God.Thou King of Kings have mercy upon me.
I lived doubtful, not dissolute.I die unresolved, not unresigned.Ignorance and error are incident to human nature.I trust in an Almighty and All-good God.Thou King of Kings have mercy upon me.
I lived doubtful, not dissolute.I die unresolved, not unresigned.Ignorance and error are incident to human nature.I trust in an Almighty and All-good God.Thou King of Kings have mercy upon me.
I lived doubtful, not dissolute.
I die unresolved, not unresigned.
Ignorance and error are incident to human nature.
I trust in an Almighty and All-good God.
Thou King of Kings have mercy upon me.
And underneath:
For my King often, for my Country always.
For my King often, for my Country always.
For my King often, for my Country always.
His Grace died in the 57th year of his age, Feb. 24, 1720, leaving the publication of his works to the care of Mr. Pope. He had three wives; the first, Ursula, Countess of Coventry; the second, Catharine, Countess of Gainsborough; the third, Catharine, Countess of Anglesey.
In this isle there is a lofty pyramid supported by two griffins of gilt brass, on a pedestal of the most curious marble, erected to the memory of Charles Montague, Marquis of Halifax, son to George Montague of Horton. He was placed at the head of the treasury in the reign of King Charles I. and undertaking the reformation of the coin, which was then most infamously clipped, he restored it to its proper value. For this, and other public services, he was first created Baron, and then Marquis of Halifax.
Against the east wall at the end of the north isle is a monument in the form of a beautiful altar, raised by King Charles II. to the memory of Edward V. and his brother Richard, on which is an inscription in Latin, to the following purport:
Here lie the reliques of Edward V. King of England, and Richard Duke of York, who, being confined in the Tower, and there stifled with pillows, were privately and meanly buried, by order of their perfidious uncle Richard the Usurper. Their bones, long enquired after and wished for, after lying two hundred and one years in the rubbish of the stairs, lately leading to the chapel of the White Tower, were on the 17th of July 1674, by undoubted proofs discovered; being buried deep in that place. Charles II. pitying their unhappy fate, ordered these unfortunate Princes to be laid amongst the reliques of their predecessors, in the year 1678, and the 20th of his reign.
At the east end of the same isle is a vault in which are deposited the bodies of King James I. and Anne his Queen, daughter to Frederic II. King of Denmark.
Over this vault is a small tomb adorned with the figure of a child, erected to the memory of Mary the third daughter of James I. who was born at Greenwich in 1605, and died at two years old.
There is also another monument on which is the representation of a child in a cradle, erected to the memory of Sophia, the fourth daughter of the same King, who was born at Greenwich in 1606, and died three days after.
In the same isle is a lofty monument erected to the memory of Queen Elizabeth by King James I. her successor. The inscription represents her character, high descent, and the memorable acts of her glorious reign, “That she was the mother of her country, and the patroness of religion and learning; was herself skilled in many languages, adorned with every excellence of mind and person, and endowed with princely virtues beyond her sex: that in her reign religion was refined to its original purity; peace was established; money restored to its just value; domestic insurrections quelled; France delivered from intestine troubles; the Netherlands supported; the Spanish Armada defeated; Ireland, almost lost by the secret contrivances of Spain, recovered; the revenues of both universities improved by a law of provisions; and, in short, all England enriched. That she was a most prudent Governess, forty-five years a virtuous and triumphant Queen; truly religious, and blest in all her great affairs; and that after a calm and resigned death in the 70th year of her age, she left her mortal part to be deposited in this church, which she established upon a new footing, till by the word of Christ she is called to immortality.” She died March 24, 1602.
In the south isle is a lofty and pompous tomb erected to the memory of Mary Queen of Scots, the mother of King James I. who flying into England from her rebellious subjects, was taken prisoner, tried and condemned for conspiring the death of Queen Elizabeth, and on the 8th of February 1587, beheaded on a scaffold erected in the hall of Fotheringhay Castle, in Northamptonshire. She was afterwards pompously interred by order of Queen Elizabeth, in the cathedral church of Peterborough; but upon the accession of her son to the throne of England, he ordered her remains to be removed from thence, and placed near this monument.
Near the last monument is a tomb enclosed with iron rails, on which lies a Lady also finely robed, the effigies of Margaret Douglas, daughter of Margaret Queen of Scots by the Earl of Angus. Her son the Lord Darnely, father to King James I. is represented foremost on the tomb kneeling, with the crown over his head, and there are seven other of her children represented round the tomb. This great Lady, though she herself never sat on the throne, had, according to the English inscription, King Edward IV. to her great grandfather; Henry VII. to her grandfather; Henry VIII. to her uncle; Edward VI. to her cousin german; James V. of Scotland to her brother; Henry I. of Scotland to her son; James VI. to her brother. Having to her great grandmother and grandmother two Queens, both named Elizabeth; to her mother, Margaret Queen of Scots; to her aunt, Mary the French Queen; to her cousins german, Mary and Elizabeth Queens of England; and to her niece and daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of Scots. This great Lady died March 10, 1577.
In the south side is likewise the monument of Margaret Countess of Richmond, mother to Henry VII. by her first husband Henry Tudor. She was afterwards married to Humphry Stafford, a younger son to Humphry Duke of Buckingham, and at last to Thomas Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby; but by the two last had no children. The inscription mentions the charities of this humane and generous Princess, particularly her founding two colleges at Oxford, Christ Church and St. John’s; and a grammar school at Winbourne. She died in July 1509, in the reign of her grandson Henry VIII.
At the east end of this isle is the royal vault of King Charles II., King William III., Queen Mary his Consort, Queen Anne, and Prince George.
Over these royal Personages are their effigies (except that of Prince George) in wainscot presses; they are of wax work resembling life, and dressed in their coronation robes.
Another wainscot press is placed at the corner of the great east window, in which is the effigy of the Lady Mary Duchess of Richmond, daughter to James Duke of Richmond and Lenox, dressed in the very robes her Grace wore at the coronation of Queen Anne.
On leaving this isle you will be shewn in another wainscot press the effigies of General Monk, who had a great share in the restoration of King Charles II. to the throne of England, and was interred in a vault appropriated to him and his family. He is represented in armour, and his ducal cap is generally made use of by those who shew this chapel, to receive the bounty of those who visit it; these persons having no share of the money paid for seeing it.
Thus have we given a description of every thing remarkable in the Abbey, and that venerable pile adjoining to it, called Henry the Seventh’s chapel; we have mentioned and described the monuments in both that are worthy of notice, and we shall conclude this article with the following reflections, extracted from an ingenious writer, on this subject.
“However amiable fame may be to the living, ’tis certain no advantage to the dead, whatever dangers they have dared, whatever toils they have undergone, whatever difficulties they have surmounted; the grave is deaf to the voice of applause, and the dust of the noble and vulgar sleep in the same obscurity together. ’Tis possible the conscious spirit may have an idea of the honour that is paid to his ashes; but ’tis much more probable, that the prospect of this imaginary glory, while he lived among us, was all the pleasure it ever could afford him. I make this observation, because most monuments are said to be erected as an honour to the dead, and the living are supposed to be the least concerned in them: but one man’s fame is made the foundation of another’s, in the same manner with the gentleman’s, who ordered this sentence to be made his epitaph;Here lies Sir Philip Sidney’s friend. Some there are that mention only the names of the persons whose dust they cover, and preserve a noble silence with regard to the hand that raised them; but even here, the dead can receive no benefit from such disinterested affection; but the living may profit much by so noble an example. Another thing that displeases me is the manner of the inscriptions, which frequently mistake the very design of engraving them, and as frequently give the lie to themselves. To pore one’s self blind in guessing outÆternæ Memoriæ Sacrum, is a jest, that would make Heraclitus laugh; and yet most of them begin in that pompous taste, without the least reflection that brass and marble can’t preserve them from the tooth of Time; and if men’s actions have not guarded their reputations, the proudest monument would flatter in vain. Sepulchral monuments should be always considered as the last public tribute paid to virtue; as a proof of our regard for noble characters, and most particularly as an excitement to others to emulate the great example.
“It is certain there is not a nobler amusement, than a walk in Westminster Abbey, among the tombs of heroes, patriots, poets, and philosophers; you are surrounded with the shades of your great forefathers; you feel the influence of their venerable society, and grow fond of fame and virtue in the contemplation: ’tis the finest school of morality, and the most beautiful flatterer of imagination in nature. I appeal to any man’s mind that has any taste for what is sublime and noble, for a witness to the pleasure he experiences on this occasion; and I dare believe he will acknowledge, that there is no entertainment so various, or so instructive. For my own part, I have spent many an hour of pleasing melancholy in its venerable walks; and have been more delighted with the solemn conversation of the dead, than the most sprightly sallies of the living. I have examined the characters that were inscribed before me, and distinguished every particular virtue. The monuments of real fame, I have viewed with real respect; but the piles that wanted a character to excuse them, I considered as the monuments of folly. I have wandered with pleasure into the most gloomy recesses of this last resort of grandeur, to contemplate human life, and trace mankind thro’ all the wilderness of their frailties and misfortunes, from their cradles to their grave. I have reflected on the shortness of our duration here, and that I was but one of the millions who had been employed in the same manner, in ruminating on the trophies of mortality before me; that I must moulder to dust in the same manner, and quit the scene to a new generation, without leaving the shadow of my existence behind me; that this huge fabric, this sacred repository of fame and grandeur, would only be the stage for the same performances; would receive new accessions of noble dust; would be adorned with other sepulchres of cost and magnificence; would be crouded with successive admirers; and at last, by the unavoidable decays of time, bury the whole collection of antiquities in general obscurity, and be the monument of its own ruin.”
Abbots Langley, a village in Hertfordshire, situated to the east of Kings Langley, and three or four miles to the S. W. of St. Alban’s, to whose abbey it once belonged. It is famous for being the birth place of Nicholas Breakspeare, who was made Pope by the title of Adrian IV. and had his stirrup held by the Emperor Frederic while he dismounted: but notwithstanding his pride, it is a still more indelible stain to his memory, that when Sovereign Pontiff, he suffer’d his mother to be maintained by the alms of the church of Canterbury. This place gives the title of Baron to the Lord Raymond, who has a seat in this neighbourhood.
Abbs Court, in the parish of Walton upon Thames in Surrey. The Lord of this Manor, which is also calledAps, used formerly upon All-Saints Day to give a barrel of beer, and a quarter of corn baked into loaves, to as many poor as came. This charity was begun in the days of Popery, in order, as ’tis supposed, to encourage the prayers for deliverance of souls out of purgatory.
Abchurchlane, 1. Gracechurch street.☐ 2.Lombard street.☐ SeeSt.Mary Abchurch.
Abelcourt, Rosemary lane.
Abel’sbuildings, Rosemary lane.†
Abingdonbuildings, Old Palace yard.
Abingdonstreet, near Old Palace yard.
Academycourt, Chancery lane.
Acornalley, Bishopsgate street, without.*
Acorncourt, Bishopsgate street, without.*
Acton(East) a village six miles from London, a little to the north of the Oxford Road, noted for the medicinal wells near it, which are frequented in the summer months.
Acton(West) a village in the road to Oxford, situated seven miles from London.
Adam-a-diggingyard, Peter street, Westminster.*
Adam and Evealley, 1. Barnaby street.* 2. by West Smithfield.*
Adam and Evecourt, 1. Oxford street.* 2. Tottenham court road.* 3. West Smithfield.* 4. Hatchet alley, Whitechapel. 5. Petticoat lane.*
Adam and Eveyard, 1. Homerton.* 2. Ratcliff highway.*
Adam’scourt, 1. Little Broad street.† 2. Pig street.† 3. Sharp’s buildings, Duke’s place.† 4. Near Swan’s close.†
Adam’smews, 1. Audley street.† 2. Charles street near Mount street.†
Adam’syard, Hockley in the Hole. †
Addington, a village in Surrey, three miles from Croydon, situated at the descent of a high spacious common to which it gives name. Its church, though said to be above 300 years old, is still very firm. But what is most remarkable, is, that the Lord of the Manor held it in the reign of Henry III. by the service of making his Majesty a mess of pottage in an earthen pot in the King’s kitchen at his coronation; and so late as the coronation of King Charles II. Thomas Leigh, Esq; then Lord of the Manor, made a mess according to his tenure, and brought it to his Majesty’s table, when that King accepted of his service, though he did not taste what he had prepared.
Addison’syard, Peter street, Westminster. †
Addlehill, Great Carter lane, Thames street.
Addlestreet, Wood street, Cheapside.
Admiraltycourt. This court, which is held in Doctors Commons, was formerly under the direction of the Lord High Admiral, as it is now under the Lords of the Admiralty, who here take cognisance of all causes relating to merchants and mariners. The proceedings are in the Civil Law. The plaintiff gives security to prosecute, and if cast, to pay what shall be adjudged, and likewise to stand to all his proctor shall transact in his name. But in criminal cases, as the trial of pirates, and crimes committed at sea, the process, by a special commission, is by a judge, jury and witnesses, a Judge of the Common Law assisting: on which occasion the court is commonly held at the Session-house in the Old Bailey. The officers of this court are the Judge of the Admiralty, who must be a Civilian, an Advocate and Proctor, a Register, and a Marshal, who carries a silver oar before the Judge.