must have been the work of many years, as several of the pieces of marble are not more than one-fourth of an inch in length, and the largest not more than four inches, except those particularized.

This fine pavement is enclosed by a rich scroll-work railing; and, upon descending two steps, we come to the lozenged black and white marble surface of the choir, made by Dr. Busby, the celebrated prebendary of Westminster, and master of the school, whose rigid discipline has damned him to fame' throughout all generations. At the east end of it are engraved the names of Richard Busby, 1695, and Robert South, 1716.

All traces of the interments beneath this part of the church are now gone; and are succeeded by pews for the Westminster scholars, and nine or ten private pews.

The pulpit is attached to the north-west pillar of the tower; and is supported by a clustered column, spreading into a sexagon. On each corner is a small pillar, terminating in a cherub. Within the pannels is a flower of twelve leaves. A palm tree, of exquisite workmanship, supporting the sounding-board, whose top and sides are pinnacled. The lower is richly inlaid with dark wood.

The sides of the choir are of wood, and divided by slender columns with tasteful capitals into arches, adorned with foliage and pinnacles. The transepts are entered by a door on each side of the choir.

The enriched canopies of the stalls render them extremely beautiful. They are thirty-two in number, besides those of the dean and the sub-dean at the west end, higher than the rest, and hung with purple cloth. Lower than those are the scats of others of the Westminster scholars.

Almost under the organ, by a descent of three steps, we find a door on each side of the wainscot, with niches in the sides, and quatrefoils over them; together with pillars, arches, and pannels Under the projection of the organ gallery are Grecian dentels and lozenges, with quatrefoils between them.

Directly under the organ is a Gothic ceiling. The centre is a rose surrounded by a quatrefoil. From the four corners rise quarter circles, meeting a great circle round the quatrefoil; the quarters divided into rays.

The organ case has nothing to recommend it to particular notice ; it is very plain and capacious.

The choir commences at the fourth pillar from the east, and extends in length to the eleventh.

The roof is camarated, and very richly adorned with bright gilded ribs, key-stones, all varied in complicated scrolls; so also are the capitals of the pillars in the row of windows. The surface is coloured, and at irregular intervals crossed with grey. Round the key-stones are painted roses.

Mr. Malcolm very justly remarks, that notwithstanding the

strong bars of iron which cross the intercolumniations near the great pillars of the tower, must greatly contribute to their support, they are not sufficient to prevent those vast clusters from each tending to a point in the centre of the space under it. Possibly as they have thus bent by some unknown cause for many years past, they may not for many ages fail; but if I dare prophecy, this will be the spot where this venerable pile will rend asunder, and the adjoining parts accumulate in one dreadful ruin on that centre.

There are already several fissures in the ceiling of the choir; and what is of more importance, the centre rib, east and west, is very far from a straight line." "*

These alarming symptoms of decay and ruin,' says Mr. Nightingale, are sensibly, though very little increased within these few years; but I should think Mr. Malcolm did not need to have alarmed himself on account of the weight of stones, marbles, and metals, which this piece of ground, small as it is, has to sustain.'

The four sides of the tower, over the points of the great arches, have blank windows, nearly triangular; and each side two small pointed windows. The ribs of the roof terminate in a circular reOn the outside of this is a square, with blank shields on the sides. These ornaments are highly gilded. The capitals of the great pillars have projecting heads.

cess.

Behind the altar, is

The Chapel of St Edward the Confessor.

It extends to the fourth western pillar, and is formed by the circular sweep of the east end of the choir.

This chapel is ascended by a flight of wooden steps. The pavement was at one time of exquisite workmanship; but the constant tread of visitors, the depredations of idle persons; and, as a modern writer supposes also, the depredations of weak devotees, have almost worn away, in many places, the stone from the marbles inlaid upon them. Of the latter cause of ruin no fear need now be entertained; we live in more enlightened times, wherein devotees are neither so numerous nor so weak as formerly.

The ground-work of this fine pavement consists of large irregular dark stones, cut into circles, intersecting others, triangles within triangles, and many other geometrical figures, which are all filled with thousands of pieces in the above shapes, of the same valuable materials that compose the pavement about the altar.

In this chapel is the ancient shrine of St. Edward, once the glory of England; but now neglected, defaced, and much abused. A few hardly perceptible traces of its former splendour exist. Only two of its spiral pillars remain, the western, and a capital at the east. The wooden Ionic top is much broken and covered with dust. The Mosaic is picked away in almost every part within reach. The inscription on the architrave is partly legible. Widmore attributes it

Mal. Lond. Red. i.93

to abbot Feckenham. The words in italic are supplied from this writer.

On the south side:

OMNIBVS INSIGNIS: VIRTVTVM: LAVDIBVS HEROS: SANCTVS: EDVAR

DVS.

On the east end:-
:-

CONFESSIOR REX VENENANDVS: quinto die.

Or the north side :

JAM MORIENS 1065,* svper: ÆTHERA: SCANDIT. SVRSVM CORDA. I. F.

The letters on this inscription are gradually becoming more m distinct, and some of them are discernible with the greatest difficulty.

This shrine was the production of Pietro Cavalini, who invented the Mosaic species of ornament. It is conjectured that abbot Ware, when he visited Rome in the year 1256, brought the artist to England back with him. Weavert says that Ware brought with him certain workmen and rich porphiry stones, whereof he made that singular, curious, and rare pavement before the high altar; and with these stones and workmen he did also frame the shrine of Edward the Confessor.'

This shrine was erected by Henry III. upon the canonization of Edward. This king was the last of the Saxon race; and was canonized by pope Alexander III, who, causing his name to be inserted in the catalogue of saints, issued his bull to the abbot Lawrence, and the convent of Westminster, enjoining, that his body be honoured here upon earth, as his soul is glorified in heaven.' He died in 1066, and was canonized in 1269.

Before this shrine, says Pennant, seem to have been offered the spolia opima. The Scotch regalia, and their sacred chair from Scone, were offered here; and Alphonso, third son to Edward 1. who died in his childhood, presented the golden coronet of the unfortunate Welch prince, the last Llewellyn.

Fourteen legendary sculptures in alto relievo, relating to the history of the Confessor, appear upon the frieze of the chapel screen. It is divided into fourteen compartments, connected by a ribbon at the bottom, (on which was probably inscriptions alluding to the subjects above) and separated by trefoils formed by the folds of the said ribbon, every alternate one containing a plain shield; in these compartments are the sculptures to be described; they are most accurately engraved by that most eminent antiquary Mr. Carter, and also more recently in Mr. Neale's splendid work.§ These sculptures describe respectively

1. The trial of queen Emma, mother of the Confessor.]]