The door has a pointed arch, and over it circles; filled with crosses, and the others with leaves, round like a wheel without, a flatter arch, from pillars; the key-stones are roses, scrolls, faces, a figure with uplifted hands, a terrific mask with acanthus leaves in the mouth, and foliage. Monks projecting from the wall, support the ribs of the last arch at the south end. In it are circles with crosses, and pannels. The side is pillars in length, and has a seat, or basement, which is continued across the cloisters. The outward arches have clustered columns in each, and above them broken apertures; many of those intersections becoming dangerous and decayed, have beep entirely removed. In the is to Edward Wortley Montagu. It is impossible to describe all the tablets, &c.

Here lies the body of George Vertue, late engraver, and F.S. A. who was born in London, an.

1684

, and departed this life

July 24, 1756

.

With manners gentle, and a grateful heart,

And all the genius of the graphic art,

His fame shall each succeeding artist own,

Longer by far than monuments of stone.

Browne Willis, in a letter to Dr. Ducarel, says, he was buried probably near an old monk of this abbey, of his own family, whom Willis discovered to have been buried there in . The engraver was a catholic. Margaret Vertue, his faithful wife, who survived him near years, lies buried in the same grave. She died , aged . The wall of this arch has been painted with orange-coloured sprigs, on a dark ground, but both

Further south, a tablet to Arthur O'Keefe, descended from the kings of Ireland. He died the ; , and Isabella his wife the . Jeremiah Lewis, gent. , aged . Below it, a very handsome white marble tablet with a canon,

by

two

-fold augmentation,

Near this place are deposited the remains of Benjamin Cooke, Doctor of Music, in the university of Oxford and Cambridge; and organist, and master of the choristers of this collegiate church for above

thirty

yeas. He departed this life on the

14th day of Sept. 1798

, in the

59th

year of his age.

In the next arch are a bust and bas-relief described in the following lines:--

The genius of engraving handing down to posterity the works of painting, sculpture, and architecture, whilst Fame is distributing them over the

four

quarters of the globe, was erected and inscribed to William Woollett, born

August 29th, 1735

, died

May 22

d,

1785

.

In the adjoining arch, an exceedingly pleasing pyramid tablet, with e genius of the healing art mourning, near a medallion, formed by a serpent and oak branch above, and torches below, containing a bust. This is to Dr. Richard Jebb. On the right is a small but uncommonly neat tablet, with an angel kissing the cross. It is to Frances Louisa Parnelle, who died . On the left is a plain tablet and miserable profile bust of the celebrated Dr. Buchan, author of the

Domestic Medicine.

Sacred to the memory of Thomas Saunders Depuis, Doc. Oxon. organist and composer to his majesty; who departed this life

July 17, 1796

, aged

sixty-six

years. He was a man, as much esteemed for every moral and social view as he was eminently distinguished in his profession.

The next arch is nearly bricked up, but has an iron casement, with quatrefoil tracery above.

The south side, whose west end has a pointed entrance. On the wall, close above it, are fragments of black letter inscriptions, on serpentine labels, too distant and decayed to be legible. In the key-stone, once a shield, is an ancient iron pulley for a lamp. The arch contains a door with double pillars to the sides, the mouldings terminating in a pinnacle. This leads to the carpenters' lumber-yard; far different was its former use. Over it, without the cloisters, is a range of brackets that supported the roof of the refectory, and below them many pointed windows that lighted the hall. There are or statues in these windows, which are now filled up. Through this door the monks passed to their meals; those are the only ones that remain to shew us the situation and length of the dining-hall, which was that of the cloister.

Returning to the cloisters, in the arch on the right, are lancet-shaped niches, said to have been used as a lavatory. Among numerous tablets is with a bust of Edward Tufnel, the architect. The last, or open, arch has or tablets illegible.

The east side. In the division is a pedestal, sarcophagus, and reclining reading statue, erected to Daniel Pultney. Near it is a memorial to James Broughton, . A very strong and handsome iron gate crosses the cloisters on this spot. In the arch is a strong prison-like door, and over it a tablet to lieutenant general Henry Withers, not legible. Another to lieutenant colonel Richmond Webb, who died the , aged . Sarah, his widow, the , aged . In the next division a strong pointed arch; and neat it a tablet to Michael Robert Van Millingen, , aged . In a recess where was a door, a tablet for John Savage, S. T. P.

The ancient chapter-house has, or rather had, the arch over its entrance most magnificently adorned with carving, gilding, and painting. On each side are pillars, between them foliage. range of the mouldings contain circular scrolls which have been gilt, and the depths coloured black, another scarlet. A space is divided into small niches by waved scrolls; within them are imperfect statues. Here are the Blessed Virgin and infant Jesus, and king David, much broken. Fragments of the paint and gilding adhere on various parts of them, enough to shew their former splendour ; the centre is divided into arches; containing a door and window, and the other a window latticed and glazed. The mouldings of those are scrolls, and are supported by a head; a plane between them has been painted with white foliage on a red ground, and the outside ones in compartments of golden flowers. Between the arches is a broken carved bracket without a statue. On each side are others, the right sustains a headless, and almost wingless angel, whose right arm has been elevated; the left is nearly destroyed, but its outline is like the other; they appear to have been exceedingly correct figures. Directly before this door-way the vaulted roof of the cloisters has a greater number of ribs than the rest, and some of the key-stones are rich in carving and gilding, but beyond they are fewer than before. On the spot where the centre statue stood over the door, a tablet has been erected to Elizabeth Moore, who died in , aged . She was wife to Thomas Moore, librarian to the church. The outward wall opposite contains pillars within its arch, which is filled with pierced quatrefoils, almost destroyed by the weather. Others of those arches have trefoils, and ovals. The remainder of the divisions on the east wall are alike, and have arches within each, with a string of gold, once about inches broad, extending horizontally about yards from the pavement. The wall was painted of a dark faded colour, on which are numbers of white trefoils. The tablets

The north side. A very strong arch crosses the east end. The mouldings over the arch of the great door leading to the south aisle are numerous, and richly carved. All the key-stones of the roof are scrolls. Quaterfoils have embellished the outward arches, but they are now reduced to imperfect circles by the weather. pointed windows filled up, may be seen from this side over the roof of the south cloister, which belonged to the refectory before noticed. The divisions on the side of the church are like those mentioned on the east side, except in the painting and gilding.

In the south walk all the abbots of this church, from Vitalis to Humez inclusive, except Arundel were interred. But there are now only gravestones which record their names. The represents an abbot arrayed with a pastoral staff, above is inscribed , adjoining is another figure with a mitre, and above . An immense slab of dark blue marble, known as Long Meg of , is inscribed , another stone is inscribed .

Having surveyed the whole of this venerable structure, with as much care and circumspection as possible, few, if any, monuments of interest have escaped observation; nor have I failed to call in the assistance of such authors as have gone before me, in this pleasing, but laborious task.