beneath its porch to give interest and effect to the solemnities within." The contrast of the more elaborate tracery and delicate workmanship of Henry VII.'s Chapel is, however, very great: but passing this over, we come round to the eastern entrance, at Poet's Corner.

The best view of the interior is obtained from the great western door. The body of the church presents an impressive appearance, the whole design of the edifice being at once opened to the view of the spectator, with its lofty roof, beautifully disposed lights, and long arcades of columns. These pillars terminate towards the east in a sweep, thereby enclosing the chapel of Edward the Confessor in a kind of semicircle, and excluding all the rest. On the arches of the pillars are galleries of double columns, fifteen feet wide, covering the sideaisles, and lighted by a middle range of windows, over which there is an upper range of larger windows; by these, and the under range, with the four capital windows, the whole fabric is so admirably lighted, that the spectator is never incommoded by darkness, nor dazzled by glare.

In 1735, the great west window was filled with stained glass, representing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses and Aaron, and the twelve patriarchs; the arms of King Sebert, King Edward the Confessor, Queen Elizabeth, King George II., and Dean Wilcocks, Bishop of Rochester. To the left, in a smaller window, is a painting of one of our kings (supposed of Edward the Confessor); but the colours being of a water-blue, no particular face can be distinguished.

In the window on the other side is a figure representing Edward toe Black Prince. The three windows at the east end contain each two figures. In the left window, the first figure represents our Saviour, the second the Virgin Mary, the third Edward the Confessor, the fourth St. John the Baptist, the fifth St. Augustine, and the sixth Melitus, Bishop of London, in the right hand window. The north, or rose window, was put up in the year 1722, and represents our Saviour, the twelve apostles, and the four evangelists; the latter, with their emblems, lie down, two on each side. In 1847, the gorgeous south, or marigold window, was filled with stained glass, from designs of Messrs. Ward and Nixon. In the centre is the word "JEHOVAH," surrounded by angels; and in the circle of surrounding light are thirty-two subjects illustrative of the principal incidents, miracles, and events in the life and sufferings of the Redeemer. In the twelve lower lights are subjects from Old Testament history. The window of stained glass in Henry V.'s chantry, was filled at Dean Ireland's expence; the armorial bearings are those of Edward the Confessor, Henry III., Henry V., the arms of Queens of England, and at the very top of the window those of the Dean.

THE CHOIR.

The choir is fitted up with oak stalls, in the style of architecture of the time of Edward III., from designs by Mr. Blore, the Abbey architect, admirably executed by Mr. Ruddle, of Peterborough.

The Dean and Sub-dean's stalls are on either side of the arch, and are alike in general design, but that of the Dean being more elaborate in ornamental detail. They are octagonal in plan, and have projecting groined canopies, with pediments springing from moulded shafts with carved caps; above the canopies rise an octagonal turret with a spire. The arch is enclosed under a triangular pediment, the space between the pediment and arch being filled with tracery; the centre of which is a cinque foil enclosing a shield bearing the arms of Edward the Confessor; the ground of this is carved, and the hollows of the pediment and arch mouldings are filled with the four-leaved flower peculiar to the style.

The Canon's stall have groined canopies with pediments, and the space between the pediment and canopy is filled with open tracery; the canopies spring from slender moulded shafts with carved capitals, and are separated by buttresses terminating in pinnacles between the pediments.

The pew fronts are worked into tracery with deep mouldings, and the panels are divided into compartments by buttresses decorated with tracery, crockets, and finials.

The caps and poppy heads of the desk ends, and the ornamental accessories of the stall work and pews, are carved, to represent the foliage of ivy, maple, oak, willow, hop, vine, &c. The carving and tracery exhibit a great variety of design, and are entirely the production of hand labour; the total number of stalls is fifty-two.

The organ, which formerly stood in the centre, and consequently obstructed the view from west to east, was, in 1848, entirely rebuilt

by Mr. Hill, New Road, London. It is placed on the north, south, and east sides of the screen, and has three cases. The two principal cases, viz., those under the north and south arches, contain, respectively, the "grand" and "swell" organs. The small case on the east side of the screen facing the choir, contains the "choir" organ. The organist sits behind the latter organ, where the manuals, or key boards, are placed. It may be easily imagined, that to connect these distinct organs with the manuals, and thus bringing them under the command of the performer, was an undertaking of no ordinary difficulty. It has, however, been successfully accomplished by Mr. Hill, who has by means of a nice mechanical adjustment, succeeded in producing a perfectly easy and light touch. The instrument is now considered one of the finest, as regards tone and construction, in the kingdom; the number of stops being thirty-seven.

The solemn offices of crowning and enthroning the sovereigns of England, take place in the centre of the sacrarium, and beneath the lantern is erected the throne at which the peers do homage. When the crowns are put on, the peers and peeresses put on their coronets, and a signal is given from the top of the Abbey for the Tower guns to fire at the same instant.

In the pavement before the altar is an extremely curious Mosaic work; generally it consists of circles, squares, and parallelograms, within gullioche borderings, intersecting each other; and is said to have been brought from Rome, by Abbot Ware, after the church was re-built by Henry III. and Edward I. The materials are tessera of porphyry, jasper, alabaster, Lydian, and serpentine marbles, stained blue glass, and other substances.

The names of the several chapels, surrounding the choir beginning from the south cross, and so passing round to the north cross, are in order as follows:-1. St. Benedict; 2. St. Edmund; 3. St. Nicholas; 4. Henry V1I.; 5. St. Paul; 6. St. Edward the Confessor; 7. St. Erasmus; 8. Abbot Islip's Chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist; 9. St. John the Evangelist, St. Michael, and St. Andrew. The three last are now laid together.

EDWARD THE CONFESSOR'S CHAPEL.

Marble monuments are here displayed,
Thronging the walls; and on the floor beneath
Sepulchral stones appear, with emblems graven,
And foot-worn epitaphs; and some with small
And shining effigies of brass inlaid.

-The tribute by those various records claimed
Without reluctance do we pay,-and read
The obituary chronicle of birth,

Office, alliance, and promotion-all
Ending in dust.-Rogers.

The chapel of Edward the Confessor stands, as it were, in the centre, and is inclosed in the body of the church. It is situated bebind the altar at the east end of the choir, and is not only the most

ancient, but the most remarkable. It contains the tesselated shrine of St. Edward, its saintly founder, whose remains are inclosed within an iron-bound chest in the upper part, it is an exquisite specimen of workmanship, executed by Pietro Cavalini, by order of Henry III., upon the canonization of Edward by Pope Alexander III., who enjoined "that his body be honoured here upon earth, as his soul is glorified in heaven," but now sadly dilapidated. Before this shrine a lamp was kept continually burning; on one side stood an image of the Virgin, in silver, adorned with two jewels of immense value, presented by Eleanor, Queen of Henry III.; on the other side was placed an image of the Virgin carved in ivory, presented by Thomas a Becket. The miracles and marvels relating to this shrine would fill a volume. In this chapel the body of Eleanor, Queen of Edward I., lies buried, so renowned in history for sucking the poison from a wound given to her royal husband in the Holy Land, by the hand of an assassin.

One of the principal objects of interest here deposited, is the Coronation Chair of the sovereigns of England, made in the reign of Edward I. to contain the famous stone on which the inauguration of the Scottish kings was performed, and which Edward I. brought from Scone, in