sisting of a niche, with fan-work above, and a finely sculptured pedestal of blank arches with a capital of foliage beneath; the statues are gone: both niches have two slender pillars on each side. Over the square mouldings, which terminate all the divisions, is a cornice ornamented with a tendril of vine leaves, and finished above by a range of pierced trefoils and vine leaves. These are partly destroyed; and the sharpness of all the sculpture has been injudiciously obscured by thick whitewash. The door itself is ornamented to correspond, with rich carvings of oak, and vine leaves, quatrefoils, &c. executed in a bold and able manner. This entrance is generally called the Abbot's Door. The north aisle does not display any thing particularly remarkable; excepting, perhaps, as presenting a larger part of the Norman Church than that on the south. Between the columns, in this aisle were several altars dedicated to different Saints. The Ceilings of the nave, transept, and choir, are of wood, formed into square compartments and painted. That of the nave is of chesnut: every principal beam is supported at the sides by a smaller one, placed obliquely, and displaying on the lower part the carving of a monk, angel, or other figure, with a shield of arms. Every compartment, from the west end to the eleventh range from the arch of the tower, has the initials of Jesus Hominum Salvator in the centre: the others have those letters alternately with circles, containing half-length angels holding shields of arms. The ceiling of the south part of the transept is similarly divided by square compartments painted into circles, alternately displaying the letters 3. h. S. as before, and angels sustaining shields of arms. The northern part of the transept is embellished in the same manner, with the addition of an indifferently executed painting in the centre, of St. Alban's Martyrdom. A representation of Offa seated on his throne, over an arch, in the north aisle, is probably of the same age. The ceiled roof of the choir is more highly embellished, and is also varied in form: it exhibits, in alternate compartments, the Holy Lamb, on a mount, vert, with the the banner of the Cross, gules, ensigned with a cross botone, or, and charged with the star of Bethlehem; and the eagle eagle of St. John standing on a mount, vert: these devices were those assumed by Abbot Whethamsted, in whose time the ceilings of the nave and chancel were certainly constructed, and most probably, those of the transept. Over the eastern front of the great arch of the tower, are these lines, in allusion to Whethamsted? Sic ubicunq. vides sit pictus ut Agnus et Ales Est opus hoc unum causavit eum faciendum.† The Chapel of the Virgin, the only part of the building itself that remains to be described, is now completely separated from the Church, by the arches having been walled up, as already men tioned. Though formerly, one of the most elaborate and beautiful parts of the whole structure, it is now the most dilapidated, and ruinous. Its windows were finely ramified, and adorned with circles, trefoils, quatrefoils, &c. and its ornaments were equally rich and appropriate. Its arches were elegantly pointed; and every part appears to have been well proportioned, and truly worthy of praise. The east end, now used as the School-room, still displays traces of fine sculpture, in ranges of figures surrounding the windows, and even yet exhibiting an air of gracefulness, though most lamentably obscured by whitewash. The original pavement has been covered by a boarded floor, so that no sepulchral memorials are to be seen; though it is probable that there are such beneath. Across what may now be called the Anti-Chapel, a low wall has been erected, in order to form a passage for the conveniency of the inhabitants of the town. VOL. VII. DEC. 1805. F The Besides these figures, the ceiling of the chancel displays various shields of arms of the nobility and gentry who contributed towards repairing this Church about the year 1623: in that year also collections were made by Brief for the same purpose. + These lines were most probably written by Whethamsted himself,' who caused many Latin verses, in allusion to different subjects, to be inscribed on various parts of the Church. The entire length of the Abbey Church, including the west Porch, and the Chapel of the Virgin, is 539 feet; of which the Chapel measures about 100, and the Porch eighteen. The breadth of the transept is nearly thirty-two feet; its extreme length 174. The breadth of the body of the Church is seventy-four feet and a half; that of the choir and chancel, thirty-four feet, eight inches; that of the nave, from the inner parts of the columns, thirty feet; and that of each aisle, twenty-two feet, three inches. The circumference of the clustered columns is eighteen feet; that of the ancient piers of the nave, is thirty-one feet, nine inches: the circumference of the columus which support the tower, is much greater. The height of the tower, according to Newcome, is 144 feet. The extreme breadth of the Virgin Chapel is seventy-six feet, six inches; of the middle part, thirty-five feet, nine inches; and of the east end, scarcely twenty-seven feet. The Sepulchral Inscriptions in this Church are very numerous: though the monuments are but few, yet that few exhibits some extremely interesting specimens of architectural grandeur. The magnificent sepulchre of HUMPHREY, the Good Duke of Glocester, was erected in the time of Abbot Whethamsted, whom Mr. Gough has most appropriately styled, the Wykeham of his time,' in allusion to his skill in architecture. It consists of an upper and lower division, (separated by a fascia,) filling up the whole space beneath one of the large arches of the presbytery, and having a similar front both to the north and the south. The lower division, or canopy, consists of a large open pointed arch in the centre, with a smaller one on each side; and beyond them a fourth and fifth arch in relief. The open arches are divided by rich pendants, and the mouldings of the arches are charged with tendrils of vineleaves the roof of the canopy is richly sculptured into fan-work. The blank arches on the sides, are separated into two compartments, displaying some minute ornaments, and many shields of the arms of Whethamsted in quatrefoils, under a cornice of wheat-ears, in vases on pedestals; which also appear on the canopy. The capitals of the pillars are charged with oak-leaves. In the various spandrils of the arches are ten shields of the Duke's arms, and of France and and England in a border: these are seven times repeated on the fascia, of a larger size; and four of them are surmounted by ducal coronets, encircled by vases of wheat-ears; the other three are surmounted by helmets and mantles; but the crests are destroyed. The upper compartment displays a variety of beautiful niches, with canopies, pinnacles, and finials; together with rich open-work, and close arches in relief. In the niches, on the south side, are statues of seventeen Sovereigns, called by Sandford, the Duke's royal ancestors; but Mr. Gough seems inclined to suppose, from one of them sustaining a Church, and from other circumstances, that they were intended to represent the Kings of Mercia. They are extremely uncouth in form, and as squat as if they had been modelled in clay, and compressed by a heavy weight. The same number of statues originally stood on the north side; but all of them are now lost, with the exception of one, which has been placed in a niche on the south side, to supply the room of one that was stolen a few years ago. This monument is secured on the south by an iron grating, painted blue: the expense of erecting it, amounted to 4341. 6s. 8d. The body of the Duke was accidentally discovered in the vault beneath in the year 1703; and was then lying in pickle, in a leaden coffin inclosed by another of wood. Since that period the skeleton has been rudely handled, bone after bone having been purloined by the curious, till very few remain. On the east end of the vault was painted a crucifix, now partly obliterated, with chalices to receive the blood as it drops from the wounds. At the extremity of the south aisle, near the Duke's monument, is the following inscription to his memory, which, according to Sandford, in his Genealogical History, was written about sixty years before his time, by Dr. Westerman, parson of Sandridge and Bushey. F 2 Pia * Genealogical History, p. 317. + Sepulchral Monuments, Vol. II. where three engravings are given of this monument. Pia Memoria V. Opt. Sacrum Serotinum Hic jacet HUMPHREDUS, Dux ille GLOCESTRIUS olim Detector, dum ficta notat miracula cœci :* Pacis amans, Musisq. furens melioribus, unde Gratum opus OxONIO, quæ nunc Scola sacra† refulget Abstulit hunc humili, vix hoc dignata sepulchro ; Invidia rumpente tamen, post Funera vivat. Deo Gloria. Over this The Monument or Chapel of Abbot WHETHAMSTED, which occupies the lower part of one of the great arches of the Choir, is built on a very simple, but elegant, design. The lower part is a canopy, opening by an obtuse pointed arch, with a fretted roof: above is a rich cornice, with the Abbot's arms, three ears of wheat, several times repeated; and the inscription, VALLES HABUNDABUNT, in relief, on each side of the monument. is a range of square compartments, containing quatrefoils, each displaying some ornament, as a rose, a mitre, the Abbey arms, &c. The inner fascia is charged with lilies, dragons' heads, and other objects of excellent sculpture. Beneath the canopy is a blue slab, on which was a brass figure of the Abbot, in pontificalibus; but this has long been stolen. On the wall above the monument, on the south side, is this inscription: JOHANNES This alludes to the anecdote of the Duke detecting a cheat who had pretended to have been miraculously restored to sight at St. Alban's shrine. + The Duke erccted the Divinity School at Oxford. The vault beneath was opened a few years ago by Mr. Gough and others, but not any thing was discovered in it: several circumstances conduced to excite the supposition that it had been previously opened, and that surreptitiously. |