houfe, the most elegant fabrick in the kingdom, with the treafury and the fine buildings about the Cockpit; and between these and the end of the grand canal is a spacious parade, where the horfe and foot guards rendezvous every morning before they mount their respective guards.

On the fouth fide of the Park run fhady walks of trees from east to west, parallel almost to the canal, and walks on the north; adjoining to which are the fumptuous houses in Queen street, Queen-square, &c. inhabited by people of quality: and the west end of the Park is adorned with the Duke of Buckingham's beautiful feat. But what renders St. James's park one of the most delightful fcenes in nature, is the variety of living objects which is met with here; for befides the deer and wild-fowl, common to other parks, befides the water, fine walks, and the elegant buildings that furround it, hither the politeft part of the British nation of both fexes frequently resort in the spring, to take the benefit of the evening air, and enjoy the most agreeable converfation imaginable: and those who have a tafte for martial mufick, and the fhining equipage of the foldiery, will find their eyes and ears agreeably entertained by the horse and foot guards every morning.

The Sanctuary, or the Abbey-yard, is a large open fquare, between King-street and the Gatehouse, north-weft of the Abbey, and was called the Sanctuary, because any perfon who came within thefe limits was entitled to the privilege of fanctuary, that is, he was not liable to be apprehended by any officers of juftice.

This privilege, it is faid, was firft granted to the Abbey by Sebert, king of the Eaft. Saxons, increased by King Edgar, and confirmed by Edward the Confeffor, by the following charter:

Edward, by the grace of God, king of Englishmen; I make it to be known to all generations of the world after me, that, by fpecial commandment of our holy father Pope Leo, I have renewed and honoured the holy church of the bleffed apostle St. Peter of Westminster; and I order and establish for ever, that what perfon, of what ⚫ condition or eftate foever he be, from whencefoever he come, or for what offence or 'cause it be, either for his refuge in the faid holy place, he is affured of his life, liberty ⚫ and limbs and over this, I forbid, under pain of everlasting damnation, that no minifter of mine, or any of my fucceffors, intermeddle with any of the goods, lands, and 'poffeffions of the faid perfons taking the faid fanctuary: for I have taken their goods ⚫ and livelode into my fpecial protection. And therefore I grant to every, each of them, in as much as my terrestrial power may fuffice, all manner of freedom of joyous liberty. And whofoever prefumes, or doth contrary to this my grant, I will he lose his name, worship, dignity, and power; and that with the great traitor Judas that betraid our Saviour, he be in the everlasting fire of hell. And I will and ordain, that this my grant. endure as long as there remaineth in England, either love or dread of chriftian

' name.'

This privilege of fanctuary, as far as it related to traitors, murderers, and felons, was in a great measure abolished, by a ftatute of the 32d Henry VIII: and in the beginning of the reign of queen Elizabeth, every debtor, who fled to fanctuary, to fhelter himself from his creditors, was obliged to take an oath of the following tenour, viz. That he did not claim the privilege of fanctuary to defraud any one of his goods, debts, or money; but only for the fecurity of his perfon, until he should be able to pay his creditors.

That he would give in a true particular of his debts and credits.
That he would endeavour to pay his debts as foon as poffible.

That he would be prefent at the abbey at morning and evening prayer.

That

That he would demean himself honeftly and quietly, avoid fufpected houses, unlawful games, banquetting, and riotous company.

That he would wear no weapon, or be out of his lodging before fun-rife, or after fun-fet, nor depart out of the precinct of the fanctuary, without the leave of the dean, or archdeacon in his abfence.

That he would be obedient to the dean and the officers of the house.

And lastly, That if he should break his oath in any particular, he should not claim the privilege of fanctuary.

And if any creditor could make it appear, that he had any money, goods, or chattels, that were not contained in the particular given in to the dean and the church, the fanctuary-man was to be imprifoned till he came to an agreement with his creditors.

The Abbey-church of St. Peter at Wefiminfter appears to be very ancient, though far from being fo ancient as is vulgarly reported.

Some relate, without any authority to fupport the conjecture, that it was founded in the days of the Apostles by St. Peter himself: others that it was erected by King Lucius about the year 170. And by fome it is faid to have been built by King Sebert, the first christian King of the Eaft-Saxons (Effex and Middlesex) anno 611.-But I take it for granted the church was not built before the convent or abbey it belonged to: People did not use to build churches at a distance from towns, unless for the fervice of convents or religious houfes; but neither in the tines of the apoftles, or in the fuppofed reign of King Lucius, in the fecond century, was there any such thing as a convent in England, or perhaps in any part of Chriftendom. During the dominion of the Saxons in this ifland, monafteries indeed were erected here, and in many other kingdoms in great abundance; and as the monks generally chofe thick woods or other folitary places for their refidence, where they could meet with a spot of ground fitter for their purpose than this woody island called Thorney, then deftitute of inhabitants? But I am inclined to think, that neither this or any other monaftery was erected in South Britain till the feventh century, after Auftin the monk came into England. As to the tradition of its having been built upon the ruins of the temple of Apollo, deftroyed by an earthquake, I do not doubt but the monks were very ready to propagate a fable of this kind, who formed fo many others, to fhew the triumphs of chriftianity over paganifm, and to induce their profelytes to believe, that heaven miraculously interpofed in their favour, by earthquakes, ftorms, and other prodigies. But to proceed: when the convent was erected, I make no doubt, that there was a church or chapel built as ufual, for the fervice of the monks; but it is evident from hiflory, that the dimenfions of the firft or fecond church that stood here, were not comparable to thofe of the prefent church.

We may rely upon it, that about the year 850, there was a church and convent in the island of Thorney; because about that time London being in the poffeffion of the Danes, the convent was destroyed by them, (not in the year 659, as fome writers have affirmed, becaufe the Danes did not invade England till near 200 years afterwards.) The abbey lay in ruins about an hundred years; when king Edgar, at the instance of Dunflan, abbot of Glaffenbury, (and afterwards archbishop of Canterbury) rebuilt this and feveral other monafteries, about the year 960. Edward the Confeffor, a devout Prince, enlarged this church and monaftery, in which he placed the Benedictine monks, ordered the regalia to be kept by the fathers of the convent, and fucceeding kings to be crowned here, as William the Conqueror, and feveral other English monarchs afterwards were, most of them enriching this abbey with large revenues; but King Henry III. ordered the church built by Edward the Confeffor to be pulled down, and erected the prefent magnificent

magnificent fabrick in the room of it, of which he laid the first stone about the year

1245.

That admired piece of architecture at the east end, dedicated to the virgin Mary, was built by Henry VII. anno 150z, and from the founder is ufually called Henry the VIIth's chapel. Here most of the English monarchs fince that time have been interred.

The dimenfions of the abbey church, according to the new furvey, are as follow, viz. The length of the church, from the weft end of it to the east end of St. Edward's chapel, is 354 feet, the breadth of the west end 66 feet, the breadth of the cross ifle, from north to fouth, 189 feet, the height of the middle roof 92 feet, the distance from the weft end of the church to the choir, 162 feet, and from the weft end to the cross ifle, 220 feet, the distance from the eaft end of St. Edward's chapel to the west end of Henry VIIth's chapel, 36 feet, and the length of Henry VIIth's chapel 99 feet: fo that the length of the whole building is 489 feet, the breadth of Henry VIIth's chapel 66 feet, and the height 54 feet. The nave and crofs ifles of the abbey-church are fupported by fifty flender pillars of Suffex marble, befides forty-five demi-pillars or pilafters. There are an upper and lower range of windows, being ninety-four in number, thofe at the four ends of the cross very spacious. All which, with the arches, roofs, doors, &c. are of the ancient Gothick order. Above the chapiters the pillars spread into several semicylindrical branches, forming and adorning the arches of the pillars, and thofe of the roofs of the ifles, which are three in number, running from east to west, and a cross isle running from north to fouth. The choir is paved with black and white marble, in which are 28 ftalls on the north fide, as many on the fouth, and eight at the weft end; from the choir we afcend by feveral fteps to a moft magnificent marble altar-piece, which would be esteemed a beauty in an Italian church.

Beyond the altar is King Edward the Confeffor's chapel, furrounded with eleven or twelve other chapels replenished with monuments of the British nobility, for a particular whereof I refer the reader to the antiquities of St. Peter's, or the abbey-church of Weftminster, by J. Crull, M. D. Lond. 1711. 8vo. and the several supplements printed fince, and fhall only take notice of thofe of the kings and queens in the chapel of St. Edward the Confeffor, which are as follow, viz. Edward I, king of England, Henry III, Matilda wife of Henry 1, queen Eleanor wife of Edward I. St. Edward the Confeffor, and queen Editha his wife, Henry V, and queen Catharine of Valois his wife, Edward III, and queen Philippa his wife, Richard II, and queen Anne his wife and on the fouth fide of the choir king Sebert, and queen Anne of Cleve, wife to Henry VIII. East of St. Edward's chapel is that of Henry VII, dedicated to the bleffed virgin Mary, to which we afcend by twelve stone steps. At the weft end whereof are three brazen doors finely wrought, which give an entrance into it. The ftalls on the north and fouth fides are exquifitely carved. The roof is fupported by twelve pillars and arches of the Gothick order, abounding with enrichments of carved figures, fruit, &c. At the east end is a fpacious window with ftained glafs; befides which, there are thirteen other windows above, and as many below on the north and fouth fides. Under each of the thirteen uppermoft windows are five figures placed in niches, representing kings, queens, bishops, &c. and under them the figures of as many angels fupporting imperial crowns. roof, which is all stone, is divided into fixteen circles curiously wrought, and is the admiration of all that fee it.

The

The outside of this chapel was adorned with fourteen towers, three figures being placed in niches on each of them, which were formerly much admired; but the ftone. decaying and mouldering away, they make but an odd appearance at prefent.

In this chapel have been interred most of the English kings fince Richard the 3d, whofe tombs are no fmall ornament to it, particularly that of Henry VII. the founder, which ftands in the middle of the area towards the east end.

The tomb is compofed of a curious pedestal, whofe fides are adorned with various figures, as the north with thofe of fix men, the east with those of two cupids fupporting the king's arms and an imperial crown; on the fouth fide alfo fix figures circumfcribed (as thofe on the north fide) with circles of curious workmanship, the most easterly of which contains the figure of an angel treading on a dragon: here is alfo a woman and a child, feeming to allude to Rev. xii. and on the west end the figure of a rose and an imperial crown, fupported with thofe of a dragon and a greyhound: on the tomb are the figures of the king and queen, lying at full length, with four angels, one at each angle of the tomb, all very finely done in brass.

The screen or fence is alfo of folid brass, very flrong and fpacious, being in length 19 feet, in breadth 11, and the altitude 11, adorned with 42 pillars and their arches; also 20 fmaller hollow columns and their arches in the front of the former, and joined at the cornish, on which cornish is a kind of acroteria, enriched with roses and portcullifes interchanged in the upper part, and with the small figures of dragons and greyhounds (the fupporters aforefaid) in the lower part: and at each of the four angles is a strong pillar made open or hollow, compofed in imitation of diaper and Gothick archwork; the four fides have been adorned with 32 figures of men about a cubit high, placed in niches, of which there are only feven left, the rest being stolen away (one. Raymond, about the 11th of Queen Elizabeth, having been twice indicted for the fame ;) and about the middle of the upper part of each of the four fides is a spacious branch adorned with the figure of a rofe, where might on occafion be placed lamps. This admirable piece of art is open at top, and has two portals, one on the north, the other on the fouth fide, all of fine brass.

This royal founder's epitaph.

Septimus Henricus tumulo requiefcit in ifto,
Qui regum fplendor, lumen & orbis erat.
Rex, Virgil, & fapiens, comes virtutis amatur,
Egregius forma, ftrenuus atque potens.
Qui peperit pacem regno, qui bella peregit
Plurima, qui victor femper ab hofte redit;
Qui natas binis conjunxit regibus ambas,
Regibus &cunctis, fædere junctus erat.

Qui facrum hoc ftruxit templum, ftatuitq; fepulchrum
Pro fe, proque fua conjuge, proque domo.
Luftra decem atq; annos, tres plus compleverit annos,
Nam tribus octenis regia fceptra tulit ;

Quindecies Domini centenus fluxerat annus,
Currebat nonus, cum venit arat dies;
Septima ter menfis lux tunc fulgebat Aprilis,
Cum claufit fummum tanta corona diem.
Nulla dedere prius tantum fibi fæcula regem
Anglia, vix fimilem pofteriora dabunt.

Septimus hic fitus eft Henricus gloria regum
Cunctorum, ipfius qui tempeftate fuerunt;
Ingenio atq; opibus geftarum & nomine rerum,

Acceffere

Acceffere quibus naturæ dona benigna :
Frontis honos facies augufta heroica forma;
Junctaque ei fuavis conjux per pulchra pudica,
Et fæcunda fuit; felices prole parentes,
Henricum quibus octavum terra Anglia debet.

Under the figure of the king.

Hic jacet Henricus ejus nominis feptimus, Anglia quondam rex, Edmundi Richmondia comitis filius, qui die 22 Aug. Rex creatus, ftatim poft apud Westmonafterium die 30 Octob. coronatur 1485. Moritur deinde 21 die Aprilis anno ætat. 53, regnavit annos 23, menfes

8, minus uno die.

Under the queen's figure.

Hic jacet regina Elizabetha, Edvardi quarti quondam regis filia, Edvardi quinti regis quondam nominator foror: Henrici feptimi olim regis conjux, atq; Henrici octavi regis mater inclyta; obiit autem fuum diem in turri Londoniarum die fecund. Feb. anno Domini 1502, 37 anuorum ætate functa.

The modern tombs in the abbey, beft worth the viewing, are those of the duke of Newcastle, on the left hand as we enter the north door, of Sir Ifaac Newton, at the weft end of the choir, of Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Mr. fecretary Craggs at the west end of the abbey, of Mr. Prior among the poets at the door which faces the Old Palaceyard, of the duke of Buckingham in Henry the VIIth's chapel, and that of Dr. Chamberlain on the north fide of the choir: most of these are admirable pieces of fculpture, and shew that the ftatuary's art is not entirely loft in this country; though it must be confeffed the English fail fhort of the Italians in this fcience.

Westminster-hall is one of the largest rooms in Europe, being two hundred and twenty-eight feet in length, fixty-fix feet broad, and ninety feet high. The walls are of ftone, the windows of the Gothick form, the floor ftone, and the roof of timber covered with lead; and having not one pillar in it, is fupported by buttreffes. It is ufually obferved, that there are no cobwebs ever seen in this hall, and the reason given for this is, that the timber of which the roof is compofed is Irish oak, in which fpiders will not harbour; but I am inclined to believe this is a fact not to be depended on, for I find the timber for rebuilding and repairing the palace of Westminster in the reign of Richard III. was brought from the forefts in Effex; and as there is no colour from history to furmise that the timber of this hall was Irish oak, fo is there no imaginable reason why timber should be fetched from another kingdom for the repair of the hall, when the counties of Middlesex and Effex were great part of them forest, and afforded timber enough to have built twenty fuch places; and we find, that the timber of the Effex forests was in fact applied to the repairs of this palace; for it cannot be pretended that the prefent roof is the fame that was erected by William Rufus when it was first built, it appearing that Richard II. about the year 1397, caufed the old roof to be taken down, and a new one made (as has been obferved already) and this is probably the fame we now fee. Here are hung up as trophies, 138 colours, and 34 ftandards, taken from the French and Bavarians at Hockstet, anno 1704.

The House of Lords, or chamber where the peers affemble in parliament, is fituated between the Old Palace-yard and the Thames. It is a fpacious room, of an oblong form, at the fouth end whereof is the king's throne, to which he afcends by feveral steps on the right hand of the throne is a feat for the prince of Wales, and on the left another for the princes of the blood, and behind the throne the feats of the peers under

age.

VOL. II.

M

On