Old and New London, A Narrative of its History, its People and its Places. Illustrated with Numerous Engravings from the Most Authentic Sources. vol 3
Thornbury, Walter
1872-78
Chapter LII:Westminster Abbey.-The Choir, Transepts, &c.
Chapter LII:Westminster Abbey.-The Choir, Transepts, &c.
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We now pass on eastwards, turning our backs on the great western entrance, on our way to that portion of the sacred edifice which forms the cross, and find ourselves confronted by a screen. This screen, separating the nave from the choir, was designed by Mr. Blore, the architect to the Abbey, and erected in . It serves as the organgallery; the organ itself, however, is so placed between the columns at the sides that the view of the interior from end to end is in no way obstructed. pilasters with decorated finials divide the screen into compartments, the centre for the gate of entrance to the choir from the nave, the other contain the monuments of Earl Stanhope and Sir Isaac Newton. On each of the pilasters are projecting pedestals, which support the figures of Henry III. and his queen, Edward the Confessor and his queen, and Edward I. and his queen. | |
Here the body of the great [extra_illustrations.3.419.1] , having lain in state in the Jerusalem Chamber for days previously, was deposited in . says a cotemporary account, [extra_illustrations.3.419.2] was executed by Rysbrack; it represents the great astronomer in a recumbent posture, leaning his right arm on folio volumes, entitled
and and pointing to a scroll supported by winged cherubs. Over him is a large globe, projecting from a pyramid behind, whereon is delineated the course of the comet in , with the signs, constellations, and planets; on the globe is the figure of Astronomy with her book closed, and beneath the principal figure is a bas-relief, representing the various labours in which Sir Isaac Newton chiefly employed his time, such as discovering the causes of gravitation, settling the principles of light and colour, and reducing the coinage to a determined standard. The inscription, which is in Latin, terminates with the exclamation,
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In [extra_illustrations.3.419.3] , close by the [extra_illustrations.3.419.4] , is a monument to Thomas Thynne, Esq., of Longleat, in the county of Wilts, who was barbarously murdered while riding in his coach, in , in , by hired assassins, at the instigation of an infamous foreigner, Count Koningsmark, from motives of jealousy. The monument is of a very sensational character, considering the place in which it is erected, displaying a representation of the tragic scene, with its surroundings, in bold relief. The coach, the coachman, servants and their wigs, the horses, and the bystanders are apparently drawn to the very life. | |
The story of Thynne's assassination runs as follows. The murder was stimulated by a desire on the count's part to obtain in marriage the Lady Elizabeth Percy, the rich heiress of the Earl of Northumberland. The lady in her infancy had been betrothed to the Earl of Ogle, only son of the Duke of Newcastle, but was left a widow before the marriage was consummated. She was soon afterwards married to Mr. Thomas Thynne, who, from his large income, was called but being scarcely years of age, her husband, at the earnest entreaty of her mother, was prevailed upon to allow her to travel another year before entering fully upon her wedded life. During this period she is reported to have become acquainted with Koningsmark, a Hanoverian count. Whether she | |
p.420 | had ever given him any countenance is uncertain; but having no grounds to hope to obtain her while her husband lived, he plotted his death in the villainous manner above described. Koningsmark, however, did not succeed by this means in gaining the prize, for the lady-alarmed, doubtless, at his blood-stained hands--not long afterwards married the great Duke of Somerset. |
[extra_illustrations.3.420.1] , in the south aisle of the choir, consists of a recumbent figure of the admiral lying under a tent, and beneath it, in bas-relief, is a representation of the wreck of the , in which he lost his life. The inscription tells us that
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A story is told which illustrates the personal bravery of Sir Cloudesley Shovel. When a boy in the navy, under the patronage of Sir John Narborough, hearing that admiral express an earnes | |
p.421 | wish that some papers of consequence might be conveyed to the captain of a distant ship in action, he immediately undertook to swim through the line of the enemy's fire with the despatches in his mouth, a feat which he actually performed, reaching the ship in safety. |
Occasionally epigrams and witticisms relating to current events have been wafered or pasted on to some of the monuments and statues in the Abbey, though the practice has never reached the dignity of a custom here, as in the case of the well-known Pasquin statue at Rome, which gave rise to the Word such example, however, we are able to give here from a manuscript, apparently of about , in the possession of a former verger:-- | |
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[extra_illustrations.3.421.1] was buried in the south aisle, and the monument referred to in the above lines was erected at the express command of George III. On it is represented a soldier carrying a flag of truce, and presenting to George Washington a letter which Andre had addressed to his Excellency the night previous to his execution. It may be added here, in justification of the lines quoted above, that the present is the head placed on the figure of General Washington, and that several of the others are new, the originals, which are stated to have been exceedingly well executed, having entirely disappeared. | |
Immediately beneath the organ-loft, in the north aisle, is the tomb of the last representative of the Carteret family-Sir Charles, who died in . | |
p.422 | The tomb is a sarcophagus of marble, either built into the wall, or so executed as to represent such a position. To the right of the spectator a stout cherub leans on a diagonally disposed narrow slab of marble, probably intended to represent a sunbeam, on which are inscribed the names of several of the family. Above this quaint and ugly tomb, the whole of the wall-space between the soffit of the organ-loft, the door giving access to the stairs, and the end of the same--some feet square --is occupied by a new, bright, chromatic decoration. It is divided, by a light scroll-work, into compartments, each containing the coat of arms of a peer or peeress, with supporters, coronet, and motto. The arms are those of Grace, Countess Granville, who died in ; John, Earl Granville, ; Martha, Viscountess Lansdown, I; and Frances, wife of the above-named Earl John. A short inscription of the name, distinctions, and date of the birth and of the death of each is clearly and distinctly painted beneath each blazon, and on a tablet extending under the whole is the following legend: The sub-dean is Lord John Thynne. |
In the north aisle of the choir are appropriately deposited the remains of several men, who in their time achieved celebrity as musicians or composers, many of whom were organists of this church; among them are Dr. Samuel Arnold, Dr. Burney, Dr. Blow, Dr. Croft, Henry Purcell, and, lastly, Sir William Sterndale Bennett. | |
We now pass into [extra_illustrations.3.422.1] , remarking only that the style of architecture adopted for its fittings, though of recent date, is a copy of that which prevailed in the reign of Edward III. It was designed by Mr. Blore, and executed in . The dean's and sub-dean's stalls are on either side of the iron gate, in the centre of the screen, and are alike in general design; that of the dean, however, is more elaborately treated in its ornamental details. The canons' stalls have groined canopies springing from slender moulded shafts with carved capitals, and are separated by buttresses terminating in pinnacles. The fronts of the pews and the ornamental accessories of the stalls are carved to represent the foliage of vine, ivy, oak, willow, &c: | |
The organ formerly stood in the centre of the screen, and consequently obstructed the view down the whole length of the building, but this very objectionable arrangement was altered in the year . It is now divided into distinct portions, the principal of which are under the arches, at the north and south ends of the screen. Each part of the organ, however, is so connected by a nice mechanical contrivance that they are all brought under the command of the performer. | |
The marble pavement of the floor, in lozenges of black and white, was given by Dr. Busby, who died in I, and whose tomb is in the south transept. Dr. Busby was the celebrated prebendary of , and master of the school, whose rigid discipline has, to a great extent, caused his name to be handed down to posterity. | |
But it was not only as a schoolmaster that Dr. Busby's name is celebrated; he has come down to modern times as associated with the wig which bore, and perhaps still bears, his name. But this derivation will hardly stand. A as our grandfathers used to style the large perukes of their day, half in jest, was but an elongation of the briefer and simpler --a frizzled and bushy device for the covering of the head. As all the existing portraits of the reverend doctor represent him with a close cap, or at all events, without a wig, it is probable that the was so called in sport, | |
The sacrarium is reached by an ascent of or steps. Here the pavement is an elaborate piece of mosaic. It was the work of Abbot Ware, and was laid in . The lower dais of the altar and sedilia is formed of stones of various colours, and laid in rich and varied patterns; and the steps are of Purbeck marble. On the south side hangs a whole-length portrait of Richard II. This picture hung for many years in the Jerusalem Chamber, and was exhibited at the National Portrait Exhibition at South Kensington. It has been discovered that the original portrait was subsequently covered by successive coatings of paint, so laid on as not only to obscure, but materially to alter the drawing, and to disguise the character of the original picture. This mask of paint was removed in , and the real old picture painted in tempera, and apparently from the life, revealed underneath it in an almost perfect state of preservation. Mr. George Scharf, the Secretary of the National Portrait Gallery, in writing to the respecting this interesting discovery, observes :--
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From a MS. note in a copy of the authorised Guide belonging to a former verger, we glean the following particulars with regard to this historical portrait:-- adds the writer,
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Of this picture Pennant, writing in , observes that
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On the sides of the altar are the curious and interesting monuments of King Sebert; Ann of Cleves, wife of Henry VIII.; Aveling, Countess of Lancaster; Aymer de Valence; and Edmund Crouchback. | |
[extra_illustrations.3.423.1] , which was put up in , was designed and executed under the superintendence of Sir G. Gilbert Scott. It is chiefly composed of white and coloured alabaster, combined with a reddish spar. It consists of a facade occupying the whole space between main pillars, having doors, on each side, giving access to the shrine of Edward the Confessor behind. The doorways are arched and richly moulded. On either side of each door is a large canopied niche with pedestal, and containing statues of Moses, St. Peter, St. Luke, and King David; and on the inner side of each large niche are smaller ones, placed vertically. These niches are all most elaborately enriched with tabernacle work, groined and surrounded with pierced tracery and carved work, and | |
p.424 | terminated with pinnacles, flying buttresses, and spires, all profusely crocketed and finished. The whole is surmounted with a bold cornice, superbly carved and sculptured with subjects illustrative of the life of our Lord. In the space between the inner niches and above the communion-table is a recess, wherein is placed an elaborate and minutely finished picture of the Last Supper, in Venetian glass mosaic; the picture is feet inches by feet inches in size, and was executed from the cartoon of Mr. Clayton, by Salviati, at Venice. |
During the exploration necessitated by laying the new flooring in front of the altar, there were discovered on the north side, about feet below the pavement, the bases of piers which formed part of the old abbey of Edward the Confessor. They are of early Norman character, and, from their position, it is presumed that that early structure was nearly equal in size to the present fabric. Means have been adopted by which these remains have been so covered with the pavement that they can be easily uncovered and exposed to view. Dugdale tells us, on the authority of of the early writers, that the church, as rebuilt by Edward the Confessor, was finished in a few years, and that Camden, however, has left us a fuller description, translated from a manuscript of the very period.
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The solemn office of crowning and enthroning the sovereigns or England takes place in the centre of the sacrarium; and beneath the lantern or central tower, on a raised dais, is placed the throne at which the peers do homage. The details of these interesting ceremonies we have already given (pages to ). | |
Passing into the north transept, we are forcibly reminded by many of the monuments we see around us of the truth of the remarks made by a writer in the :
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Here, almost side by side, rest the ashes of George Canning, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Palmerston, Sir G. Cornewall Lewis, Pitt, Fox, and Grattan. Richard Cobden, who was buried in at West Lavington, in Sussex, is here commemorated by a bust; as is also the late Earl of Aberdeen. The latter, which is said to be a faithful representation of the deceased statesman, was executed by Mr. Matthew Noble. The following is the inscription on the bust :--
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Near the north doorway is [extra_illustrations.3.424.1] on the , a few hours after being seized with a fit whilst speaking in his place as a peer in the in reply to the Duke of Richmond on the inexpediency of carrying on the American war. | |
The statue to the Earl of Chatham was erected by a special vote of the public money, at the cost of . Cowper makes the following allusion to it in
The monument was designed by Bacon, who also erected the cenotaph to the same statesman in . It is, of course, wholly out of keeping with the architecture of the building or with the character of a church, but it is a fine specimen of its kind, and simple in design, though embracing figures. In a niche, in the upper part of a large pyramid, is the statue of the earl. On a sarcophagus underneath recline Prudence and Fortitude. A group still lower down consists of Britannia on a rock with the Ocean and the Earth at her feet, intended to exhibit Lord Chatham's wisdom and fortitude. The statue of the earl is in his parliamentary robes ; he is in the action of speaking, the right hand thrown forward and elevated, and the whole attitude strongly expressive of that species of oratory for which his lordship was so deservedly celebrated. Prudence has her usual symbols, a serpent twisted round a mirror. Fortitude is characterised by the shaft of a column, and is clothed in a lion's skin. The energy of this figure strongly contrasts the repose and | |
p.425 | contemplative character of Prudence. Britannia, as mistress of the sea, holds in her right hand the trident of Neptune. Ocean is entirely naked, except that his symbol, the dolphin, is so managed, that decency is perfectly secured: the action of Ocean is agitated, and his countenance severe, which is opposed by the utmost ease in the figure of the Earth, who is leaning on a terrestrial globe, her head crowned with fruit, which also lies in some profusion at the foot of the pyramid. In the centre of the plinth is the following inscription :--
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Close by the statue of Canning are magnificent monuments to the old Dukes of Newcastle. The is that of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, and his duchess, Margaret, youngest sister of Lord Lucas. This duchess, as we learn from the inscription, The basement of the tomb is covered with armour, on which is a handsome pedestal; reposing on a mat under a circular pediment lie the figures of the duke and duchess. His Grace held many great offices of state, and died in . The other monument is that of John Holles, Duke of Newcastle, who died in . The monument was executed by Gibbs, and is a beautiful pile of architecture, of the Composite order. The basement, columns, and pediment are composed of richly-variegated marble; at the sides of the base are symbolical statues of Wisdom and Sincerity; angels and cherubs in somewhat meaningless attitudes appear on the upper part of the monument, whilst the armed duke reclines in a very awkward manner upon a sarcophagus, having in hand a general's truncheon, and in the other a ducal coronet. | |
The lancet windows in the north transept are filled with stained glass to the memory of Major- General Sir H. W. Barnard and others who in and ; and there is also a memorial window in the west aisle of this transept to Brigadier the Hon. Adrian Hope, C.B, | |
Crossing to the south [extra_illustrations.3.425.4] , or, as it is now popularly and most appropriately called, we enter that part of the Abbey which has become the resting-place of the remains of most of England's greatest men in the field of literature and art. Here sleep in peace such celebrities as Chaucer, [extra_illustrations.3.425.7] , Booth, Drayton, Edmund Spenser, Samuel Butler, Garrick, Camden, Nicholas Rowe, Isaac Casaubon, Handel, Addison, John Gay, Thomas Campbell, Matthew Prior, Cowley, Sir William Davenant, Lord Macaulay, George Grote, and, lastly, Charles Dickens. With such an assemblage around us we can do no more than select a few of the monuments as deserving of special notice. | |
That to the memory of Garrick represents the great actor throwing aside a curtain, which reveals a medallion of Shakespeare, allegorically indicating the power he possessed of unveiling the beauties of the Tragedy and Comedy are seen personified, with their appropriate emblems. | |
Mr. J. T. Smith, in his alluding to the death of Garrick, on the , and his burial in , remarks that a facetious friend, with an ill-timed levity, lifted up the latch of Nollekens' studio, and said, Mr. Smith then adds:
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William Camden, the eminent antiquary, who died in , is commemorated by a half-length figure, in the dress of his time, holding in his left hand a book, and in his right his gloves, resting on an altar, on the front of which is an inscription setting forth his He was for some time master of School, where Ben Jonson-- of the noblest of English dramatists--was his pupil. Here is a marble monument to Jonson, finely executed by Rysbrack; it is ornamented with emblematical figures, it has been suggested, A writer in the has pointed out that the bust of Ben Jonson shows a sculptural error of the kind referred to in the following verses, takenfrom and published in the year . | |
p.426 | |
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This great dramatist and contemporary of Shakespeare was buried in the north aisle, and on a plain stone over his grave are to be seen the words --an epitaph perhaps the more forcible for its quaint brevity. The words are said to have been cut by a mason for eighteenpence, paid him by a passer-by, Mr. R. Bell, in his writes,
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Allen, in his says that the epitaph on Jonson's gravestone was engraved by direction of Sir William Davenant, who has on his own tombstone, in the pavement on the west side of Poets' Corner, Sir William Davenant was the son of a vintner, and was born at Oxford in ; his mother, who was a woman of admirable wit and sprightly conversation, drew to her | |
p.427 p.428 | house the politest men of that age, and among them Shakespeare is said to have been a frequent visitor. Upon Ben Jonson's death, Davenant succeeded him as Poet Laureate to Charles I., but having, as it is stated, lost his nose by an , he was cruelly bantered by the wits of the succeeding reign. He died in . |
Shakespeare himself does not lie here, as everybody knows; there is, nevertheless, a monument to him in Poets' Corner. Pericles has told us many centuries ago, that and in a like spirit sings Ben Jonson :--
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[extra_illustrations.3.428.1] was erected by Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, who had refused to aid the poet in his lifetime, thereby giving point to the satiric assertion of Pope, that--
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Bishop Atterbury thus writes to Pope on this subject :--
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[extra_illustrations.3.428.2] is the last which Roubiliac lived to complete. It is affirmed that the sculptor became conspicuous, and afterwards finished the exercise of his art, through working on the figure of this extraordinary musician. The statue of Handel upon his monument is considered very elegant and life-like. The left arm is resting on a group of musical instruments, and the attitude is expressive of great attention to the harmony of an angel playing on a harp in the clouds overhead. | |
Milton and Gray, though both are interred elsewhere, have each a monument here erected to their memory. That to the former was executed by Rysbrack, and has under the bust simply the name On the front of the pedestal is the following inscription:--
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The monument erected to the memory of Gray consists of an alto-relievo of the Lyric Muse holding a medallion bust of the poet, and at the same time pointing a finger to the bust of Milton, which is immediately above it. The memorial, which was the work of John Bacon, the sculptor, bears the following lines :
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The stately monument of Matthew Prior, close by, is a sarcophagus surmounted by a bust and pediment. On side of the pedestal stands the figure of Thalia, with a flute in her hand, and on the other side History, with her book shut. From the Latin inscription we learn that while Prior
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With reference to Prior's funeral Dr. Atterbury thus writes to Pope:--
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It was Matthew Prior by whom the celebrated epigram and epitaph in was written:--
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of whom we have spoken in a previous chapter (page ), lies in Poets' Corner, near the door of St. Faith's-or, as it is often called, St. Blaize's-Chapel. He lived in the reign of | |
p.429 | sovereigns, did penance for bastardy when above the age of , and died in , aged years. Near to him are the remains of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Samuel Johnson, General Sir Archibald Campbell, John Duke of Argyll and Greenwich, and-though last, not least- Charles Dickens. His grave is covered by a slab of black marble, thus inscribed: At his death passed away and of whom Caroline Norton some years previously had written :
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It was at intended that [extra_illustrations.3.429.1] should have been buried in Rochester Cathedral, in accordance with the instructions contained in his will; but the voice of the nation was allowed to prevail over his own expressed wish, and very early on Tuesday, the , he was laid to his rest in Poets' Corner. So writes his friend, John Forster. | |
of this funeral we may add that Mr. B. Jerrold tells us that he met Charles Dickens about a month before his death at , and had a long chat with him about old friends, and Gustave Dore, and London- --and that, on parting, Dickens
he adds,
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Lord Shelburne, afterwards the Marquis of Lansdowne, in a letter on sepulchral monuments in general, addressed to the committee for erecting a memorial to John Howard, the philanthropist, expresses a hope that may be preserved from becoming disfigured after the manner of by absurd and inappropriate sculpture. he writes, The monument of Lady Orford is in the south. aisle of Henry VII.'s Chapel, which we shall notice in our next chapter. | |
The fulsome expressions which are to be read upon most of the monuments here are enough to make wish for a return to the simplicity of the old Roman inscriptions, and to provoke others besides children, as they look around, to ask, It is a fact that the Dean and Chapter refused to admit the body oi Lord Byron into the Abbey; but with that single exception, we fear, the remark of Dr. King in is but too true: --
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It is to be hoped that, at all events, in recent times, so severe and caustic a remark has not been deserved by the Chapter of ; indeed, we may safely say that the great and celebrated men who lately have been buried in the Abbey were men of whom England and English society may well be proud. | |
The monument to Goldsmith (who lies buried elsewhere) is of interest, on account of its connection with the name of Dr. Johnson. It was at intended that this great essayist and master of the English tongue, who wanted but common prudence in order to have made of the finest of | |
p.430 | characters, should have been buried in the Abbey, with a magnificent funeral; but the knowledge of his numerous debts unpaid caused the scheme to be withdrawn, and his body was interred in the churchyard of the Temple Church. It was decided, however, that a tablet should be raised to his memory in the Abbey. Sir Joshua Reynolds chose the spot, immediately over the doorway of St. Blaize's Chapel, and close to the memorial of Gay; and Dr. Johnson undertook to write the inscription. Johnson wrote this in Latin, and presented it to his friends for their approval. They wished that it had been written in the tongue which Goldsmith so excelled in writing; but the worthy doctor insisted that he would be no party to putting up English inscriptions in such a place as the Abbey, and by his persistency he gained the day. Thus it is that we have an inscription unintelligible to half at least of those who read and delight in his and his most of whom, it may be presumed, would also be interested in knowing what Dr. Johnson thought and said of him. |
Spenser lies here, not far from Chaucer. The short but beautiful inscription on his monument runs thus : It is recorded that at his funeral several of his poet brethren attended, and threw into his grave all sorts of epitaphs, elegies, and panegyrics. says Charles Knight,
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As for Chaucer, the same author observes with much justice and beauty,
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Chaucer was buried in the cloisters of the Abbey, outside the building itself, put his remains were removed into the south transept in The tomb has been much defaced, but still exhibits traces of its former magnificence. It is an altartomb within a recess, and is surmounted by an elaborate canopy. In a memorial window was set up immediately above the tomb. The design is intended to embody his intellectual labours and his position amongst his contemporaries. At the base are the Canterbury Pil-] grims, showing the setting out from London and the arrival at Canterbury. The medallions above represent Chaucer receiving a commission, with others, in , from King Edward III. to the Doge of Genoa, and his reception by the latter. At the top the subjects are taken from the poem entitled On the right side, dressed in white, are the Lady of the Leafe, and attendants; on the left side is the Lady of the Floure, dressed in green. In the tracery above the portrait of Chaucer occupies the centre, between that of Edward III. and Philippa his wife; below them, Gower and John of Gaunt; and above are Wickliffe and Strode, his contemporaries. At the base of the window is the name and lines selected from the poem entitled -- This window is a brilliant piece of colour, and an interesting addition to the attractions of the Abbey. | |
Poets' Corner, however, as our readers will already perhaps have noticed, is not confined to poets alone, but includes those who have courted other muses besides the muse of song. Divines, philosophers, actors, musicians, dramatists, architects, and critics, each and all have found a last resting-place in this part of the Abbey. Here, for instance, lies Dr. Isaac Barrow, whose life justifies the inscription which speaks of him as Dr. Barrow was master of Trinity College, Cambridge: he was so powerful and exhaustive in his sermons, that Charles II. wittily styled him the preacher, because he left nothing for others to say on the subjects of his discourses. | |
Poets' Corner! writes Charles Knight,
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It may be well here to quote the sober and touching reflections of Addison upon this sacred spot:--
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Footnotes: [extra_illustrations.3.419.1] Sir Isaac Newton [extra_illustrations.3.419.2] The monument [extra_illustrations.3.419.3] the south aisle [extra_illustrations.3.419.4] choir-screen [extra_illustrations.3.420.1] The monument of Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel [extra_illustrations.3.421.1] Major Andre [extra_illustrations.3.422.1] the choir [extra_illustrations.3.423.1] The reredos [extra_illustrations.3.424.1] the monument to William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, who died [] Royal Academy clipping, 1784 [] Choir passing into Choir [] From Poet's Corner across Choir [] Confirmation of Westminster Boys [extra_illustrations.3.425.4] transept [] Interior from Poet's Corner [extra_illustrations.3.425.7] Dryden [extra_illustrations.3.428.1] The monument to John Dryden [extra_illustrations.3.428.2] Handel's monument [] View of Orchestra, Organ, etc. for Commemoration of Handel [extra_illustrations.3.429.1] Charles Dickens [] Qui nullum fere scribendi genus non tetigit, nullum quod tetig non ornavit. |