magnificent one to the memory of John Lord Russel, son and heir to
Francis Earl of Bedford, and of his young son Francis, by Elizabeth
the daughter of Sir Anthony Cook, Knt. This monument is of various
coloured marble and alabaster, and is adorned with gilding. Lord
Russel is represented lying in his robes, with his infant son at his
feet. His Lady, who erected this tomb, was esteemed the Sappho of the
age, and was not only an excellent poetess, but mistress of the
learned languages; and five epitaphs on this tomb are of her
composition, three of which are in Latin, one in Greek, and the other
in English, which last is here transcribed as a specimen of the rest,
that are to the same purpose:
Right noble twice, by virtue, and by birth,
Of Heaven lov’d, and honour’d on the earth:
His country’s hope, his kindred’s chief delight,
My husband dear, more the world’s fair light,
Death hath me ’reft. But I from death will take
His memory, to whom this tomb I make.
John was his name (ah, was!) wretch, must I say;
Lord Russel once, now my tear-thirsty clay.
In this chapel is a monument partly enclosed, to the memory of Talbot
Earl of Shrewsbury and his Lady, who are represented lying on a black
marble table supported by an alabaster pedestal. This monument is
adorned with variegated marble finely carved. The inscription contains
his titles and character, which is a very noble one, and informs us
that he died on the 8th of February 1617, in the fifty-seventh year of
his age.
In this chapel are several other monuments, adorned in their ancient
manner, with statues lying flat on the backs; and also some other
monuments affixed to the walls.
_The Chapel of St. Benedict_, which is that next to the south cross,
has a monument erected to the memory of Lionel Cranfield Earl of
Middlesex, Lord High Treasurer of England in the reign of King James
I. This monument was erected by his relict the Lady Anne, and is of
black marble, on which are two statues in a recumbent posture,
representing his Lordship lying in his robes, with his Lady. It has a
long Latin inscription, representing his various employments and
honours, and that he finished his life in a retired leisure, and died
on the 6th of August 1645, aged seventy.
On the east side, where stood the altar of St. Benedict, is a monument
of various kinds of marble, in memory of Lady Frances Countess of
Hertford, who died on the 14th of May 1598, in the forty-fourth year
of her age. It is of various kinds of marble, and the Countess is in
the old taste represented in her robes, lying with her head resting on
an embroidered cushion, and her feet on the back of a lion.
On the south side of this chapel is a table monument of white marble
to the memory of George Sprat, the second son of Dr. Sprat, Bishop of
Rochester, an infant of a year old.
Near it is the monument of Dr. Gabriel Goodman, the first Dean of this
church, who founded an hospital, and instituted a school at Rathven in
Denbighshire, where he was born. He was a person of great piety, and
was the first who raised the learned Camden from obscurity. He is
represented kneeling, in his proper habit. He died in 1601.
_The Tombs in the open parts of the Abbey._
1. At the corner of the last mentioned chapel is a plain neat monument
to the memory of Mr. Dryden, adorned with no other ornaments than an
elegant bust of that great poet. It was erected by the late Duke of
Buckingham, who thought no inscription necessary to transmit the fame
of that great poet to posterity; we therefore only see these few
words, J. DRYDEN, born 1632, died May 1, 1700, and underneath, John
Sheffield Duke of Buckinghamshire erected this monument, 1720.
2. High on a pillar is a neat table monument to the memory of Mrs.
Martha Birch, who died in 1723, in the fiftieth year of her age. The
inscription also informs us, that she was daughter to Francis Viner,
Esq; and was first married to Francis Millington, Esq; and after his
death to Peter Birch, Prebendary of this Abbey; and that she was
pious, chaste, and prudent.
3. At a small distance is a plain neat monument, to the memory of
Abraham Cowley, on which is placed a flaming urn, begirt with a
chaplet of laurel; expressive emblems of the glory he acquired by the
spirit of his writings. The Latin inscription and epitaph on the
pedestal have been thus translated.
Near this place lies ABRAHAM COWLEY, the Pindar, Horace, and Virgil of
England; and the delight, ornament, and admiration of this age.
While, sacred bard, far worlds thy works proclaim,
And you survive in an immortal fame,
Here may you bless’d in pleasing quiet lie,
To guard thy urn may hoary Faith stand by;
And all thy favourite tuneful Nine repair
To watch thy dust with a perpetual care.
Sacred for ever may this place be made,
And may no desperate hand presume t’ invade
With touch unhallow’d, this religious room,
Or dare affront thy venerable tomb;
Unmov’d and undisturb’d till time shall end.
May Cowley’s dust this marble shrine defend.
So wishes, and desires that wish may be sacred to posterity,
George Duke of Buckingham, who erected this monument for that
incomparable man. He died in the forty-ninth year of his age,
and was carried from Buckingham-house, with honourable pomp,
his exequies being attended by persons of illustrious
characters of all degrees, and interred August 13, 1667.
His grave is just before the monument, as appears by a blue stone, on
which is engraved his name.
4. The monument of that ancient poet Geoffery Chaucer, was once a
handsome one in the Gothic stile; but is now defaced by time. Chaucer,
who is stiled the Father of the English poets, was the son of Sir John
Chaucer, a citizen of London, employed by Edward III. in negociations
abroad relating to trade. He was first a student at Cambridge; but
afterwards studied at Merton College, Oxford; and to perfect himself
in the knowledge of the laws, entered himself of the Middle Temple:
thus accomplished, he soon became a favourite at court, and was
employed as shield-bearer to the King; was a gentleman of the
bedchamber, and by Edward III. was sent Embassador abroad. However, in
the succeeding reign he fell into disgrace, and was committed to the
Tower for high-treason, where he wrote his Testament of Love: but upon
the death of Richard II. he became a greater favourite at court than
ever, from his having married the great John of Gaunt’s wife’s sister.
He was born in 1328, and died in 1400.
5. The plain monument of Mr. John Phillips, has his bust in relief,
represented as in an arbour, interwoven with vines, laurel branches,
and apple-trees; and over it this motto, _Honos erit huic quoque
pomo_, alluding to the high qualities ascribed to the apple, in his
excellent poem called _Cyder_. He was author of but few pieces; but
those were masterly performances. His Blenheim, Splendid Shilling, and
Lyric Ode to Lord Bolingbroke on Tobacco, have been much admired. He
was the son of Dr. Stephen Phillips, Archdeacon of Salop, was born at
Brampton in Oxfordshire on the 30th of December 1676, and died of a
consumption at Hereford, on the 15th of February, 1708, in the prime
of his life. The inscription on his monument contains an account of
his virtues and abilities, and is the strongest testimony of his
merit, since that alone could inspire his great patron Sir Simon
Harcourt, Knt. with such a generous friendship for him, as to
countenance and encourage him in the amplest manner when living; and
to extend his regard for him even after his death, by erecting this
monument to his memory.
6. Next this is Mr. Michael Drayton’s monument. This gentleman was
esteemed an excellent poet, and learned antiquarian. The inscription
and epitaph were formerly in gold letters; but are now almost
obliterated, and are as follow:
MICHAEL DRAYTON, Esq; a memorable Poet of his
Age, exchanged his Laurel for a Crown of Glory,
Anno 1631.
Do, pious marble! let thy Readers know
What they, and what their Children owe
To Drayton’s Name, whose sacred dust
We recommend unto thy trust;
Protect his mem’ry and preserve his story;
Remain a lasting Monument of his Glory;
And when thy Ruins shall disclaim
To be the Treasurer of his Name:
His Name, that cannot fade, shall be
An everlasting Monument to thee.
7. Ben Johnson’s monument is of white marble, and his bust is executed
with great happiness and spirit; ’tis inclosed with a tablature
ornamented with a few proper and elegant decorations, consisting of
emblematical figures: and has no other inscription but the words O
RARE BEN JOHNSON! This gentleman was the son of a clergyman, and
educated at Westminster school, while Mr. Camden was Master; but after
his father’s death, his mother marrying a bricklayer, he was forced
from school, and being obliged to work for his father, ’tis said, that
at the building of Lincoln’s Inn, he was sometimes seen at work with
his trowel in one hand, and Horace in the other. However, Mr. Camden
having an esteem for him on account of his abilities, recommended him
to Sir Walter Raleigh. He attended that brave man’s son in his
travels, and upon his return, entered himself at Cambridge; afterwards
he wrote a considerable number of plays; became Poet Laureat to King
James I. and died on the 16th of August 1637, aged 63. His tomb was
erected by the Earl of Essex, who has inscribed his own name on the
stone.
8. Spenser’s tomb is of grey marble, and has suffered greatly by time.
It was erected in an age when taste was in its infancy in England, and
yet has something in it venerably plain, and not absurdly ornamental.
The inscription upon it is as follows:
Here lies (expecting the second coming of our Saviour Christ
Jesus) the Body of Edmund Spenser, the Prince of Poets in his
time, whose divine Spirit needs no other witness than the
works he left behind him. He was born in London in 1510, and
died 1596.
9. Above Spenser’s monument is that of Samuel Butler, the author of
Hudibrass. By the Latin inscription, it appears, that it was erected
by John Barber, Esq; Citizen of London, and afterwards Lord Mayor in
1731, that he who was destitute of all things when alive, might not
want a monument when dead. Mr. Butler was born at Shernsham in
Worcestershire in 1612, and died at London in 1680.
10. A plain and neat monument of white marble in memory of that divine
poet, John Milton, who died in 1674. Under a very elegant bust made by
Rysbrack is this inscription:
In the year of our Lord Christ 1737, this bust of the author
of _Paradise Lost_ was placed here by William Benson, Esq; one
of the two auditors of the imprest to his Majesty, &c.
11. A monument erected to the memory of Thomas Shadwell, is adorned
with his bust crowned with a chaplet of bays, an urn, and other
decorations. It was erected to his honour by his son Dr. Thomas
Shadwell, and the Latin inscription informs us, that he was descended
from an ancient family in Staffordshire; was Poet Laureat and
Historiographer in the reign of King William, and died November 20,
1692, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. This poet was the author of
several plays; but falling under the lash of Mr. Dryden, was satirized
by him under the character of Ogg, in the second part of his Absalom
and Achitophel.
12. The monument of Matthew Prior, is adorned with great expence. On
one side of the pedestal stands the figure of Thalia, one of the
Muses, with a flute in her hand; and on the other History, with her
book shut; between these statues is Prior’s bust upon a raised altar,
and over it is a handsome pediment, on the ascending sides of which
are two boys, one with an hour-glass in his hand run out; the other
holding a torch reversed. On the apex of the pediment is an urn, and
on the base of the monument is a long inscription in Latin, mentioning
the public posts and employments with which he had been intrusted; and
above we are informed, that while he was writing the history of his
own times, death interposed, and broke both the thread of his
discourse and of his life, on the 18th of September 1721, in the
fifty-seventh year of his age.
13. The monument of St. Evremond is a very plain one, adorned with a
bust. The inscription observes, that he was of a noble family in
Normandy, and was employed in the army of France, in which he rose to
the rank of a Marshal; but returning to Holland, was from thence
invited by King Charles II. into England, where he lived in the
greatest intimacy with the King and principal nobility; more
particularly with the Duchess of Mazarine. He was of a very sprightly
turn of humour, as well in his conversation as writings, and lived to
the age of ninety, when he was carried off by a fit of the strangury,
on the 9th of September 1703.
[Illustration: _S. Wale delin._ _C. Grignion sc._ _Monument of
Shakespear_]
14. The monument erected to the memory of the immortal Shakespear, a
print of which we have here given, is worthy of that great dramatic
writer, and both the design and execution are extremely elegant. Upon
a handsome pedestal stands his statue in white marble in the habit of
the time in which he lived, with one elbow leaning upon some books,
and his head reclined upon his hand, in a posture of meditation. The
attitude, the dress, the shape, the genteel air, and fine composure
observable in this figure of Shakespear, cannot be sufficiently
admired, and the beautiful lines of his upon the scroll are happily
chosen.
The cloud-cap’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself;
Yea, all which it inherits, shall dissolve,
And like the baseless fabric of a vision,
Leave not a wreck behind.
Immediately over his head upon a curious piece of dark-coloured
marble, is the following inscription, in capital letters raised in
gold:
GULIELMO SHAKESPEAR
ANNO POST MORTEM CXXIV.
AMOR PUBLICUS POSUIT.
The heads on the pedestal representing Henry V. Richard III. and Queen
Elizabeth, three principal characters in his plays, are likewise
proper ornaments to grace his tomb. In short, the taste that is here
shewn, does honour to those great names under whose direction, by the
public favour, it was so elegantly constructed; these were the Earl of
Burlington, Dr. Mead, Mr. Pope, and Mr. Martin. It was designed by
Kent, and executed by Scheemakers; and the expence defrayed by the
grateful contributions of the public.
Mr. Fleetwood, then Master of Drury Lane Theatre, and Mr. Rich of
Covent Garden, gave each a benefit, arising from one of his own plays,
towards it, and the Dean and Chapter made a present of the ground.
15. The next monument is a very fine one to the memory of Nicholas
Rowe, Esq; and his only daughter. On a pedestal about twenty inches
high, which stands on an altar, is a fine bust of Mr. Rowe; near it is
his Lady in the deepest affliction, and between both, on a pyramid
behind, is a medalion, with the head of a young Lady in relief. On the
front of the pedestal is this inscription:
To the memory of Nicholas Rowe, Esq; who died in 1718, aged
forty-five, and of Charlotte his only daughter, wife of Henry
Fane, Esq; who inheriting her father’s spirit, and amiable in
her own innocence and beauty, died in the 23d year of her age,
1739.
Underneath upon the front of the altar are these lines:
Thy reliques, Rowe! to this sad shrine we trust,
And near thy Shakespear place thy honoured bust.
Oh! skill’d, next him, to draw the tender tear,
For never heart felt passion more sincere:
To nobler sentiments to fire the brave,
For never Briton more disdain’d a slave!
Peace to thy gentle shade, and endless rest,
Blest in thy genius, in thy love too blest!
And blest, that timely from our scene remov’d,
Thy soul enjoys that liberty it lov’d.
To these so mourn’d in death, so lov’d in life,
The childless Mother, and the widow’d Wife,
With tears inscribes this monumental stone,
That holds their ashes, and expects her own.
16. Near this last, is a fine monument erected to the memory of Mr.
John Gay, by the Duke and Duchess of Queensberry, his great patrons.
His bust is a very good one, and the masks, instruments of music, and
other devices, are blended together in a group, in allusion to the
various species of writings in which he excelled, as farce, satire,
fable, and pastoral. The short epitaph in the front, was written by
himself, and has given some offence, as the sentiment at first view
seems by no means proper for a monument;
Life is a jest, and all things shew it:
I thought so once, but now I know it.
Underneath are these lines:
Of manners gentle, of affections mild;
In wit, a man; simplicity, a child;
With native humour temp’ring virtuous rage,
Form’d to delight, at once, and lash the age:
Above temptation in a low estate,
And uncorrupted, ev’n among the great.
A safe companion, and an easy friend;
Unblam’d thro’ life, lamented in thy end.
These are thy honours; not that here thy bust
Is mix’d with Heroes, or with Kings thy dust;
But that the Worthy and the Good shall say,
Striking their pensive bosoms—Here lies Gay.
A. POPE.
Here lie the ashes of Mr. John Gay, the warmest friend, the gentlest
companion, the most benevolent man; who maintained independency in low
circumstances of fortune; integrity, in the midst of a corrupt age;
and that equal serenity of mind, which conscious goodness alone can
give, throughout the whole course of his life. Favourite of the Muses,
he was led by them to every elegant art, refined in taste, and fraught
with graces all his own. In various kinds of poetry, superior to many,
inferior to none: his works continue to inspire what his example
taught; contempt of folly, however adorned; detestation of vice,
however dignified; reverence of virtue, however disgraced.
Charles and Catharine, Duke and Duchess of Queensberry, who
loved his person living, and regret him dead, have caused this
monument to be erected to his memory.
17. The next is a most magnificent, lofty and elegant monument,
erected to the late Duke of Argyle, enclosed with rails, and decorated
with figures finely executed. The statue of the Duke is spirited even
at the verge of life. On one side of the base is Pallas, and on the
other Eloquence; the one looking sorrowfully up at the principal
figure above, and the other pathetically displaying the public loss at
his death. Above is the figure of History, with one hand holding a
book, and with the other writing on a pyramid of most beautiful
variegated marble, admirably polished, the name and titles of the Hero
in large gold letters, JOHN DUKE OF ARGYLE AND GR. at which point the
pen of History rests. His actions are supposed to be contained in the
book she holds in her other hand, on the cover of which in letters of
gold are inscribed the date of his Grace’s death, and the years of his
life. Above is inscribed on this beautiful pyramid in gold letters,
the following epitaph, said to be written by Paul Whitehead, Esq;
Britain, behold, if patriot worth be dear,
A shrine that claims thy tributary tear:
Silent that tongue admiring Senates heard:
Nerveless that arm opposing legions fear’d:
Nor less, O Campbell! thine the pow’r to please,
And give to grandeur all the grace of ease.
Long from thy life let kindred heroes trace
Arts which ennoble still the noblest race.
Others may owe their future fame to me,
I borrow immortality from thee.
On the base of the monument is this inscription:
In memory of an honest man, a constant friend, JOHN the Great
Duke of Argyle and Greenwich, a General and Orator exceeded by
none in the age he lived. Sir Henry Fermer, Baronet, by his
last will left the sum of five hundred pounds towards erecting
this monument, and recommended the above inscription.
19. The monument of Isaac Barrow, D.D. is remarkable for a fine bust
of that great divine and mathematician, who, as the inscription shews,
was Chaplain to King Charles II. Head of Trinity College, Cambridge;
Professor of Geometry at Gresham College in London, and of Greek and
Mathematics at Cambridge. He died on the 14th of May 1677, aged
forty-seven.
19. A table monument of white marble, erected to the memory of Sir
Richard Cox, who was taster to Queen Elizabeth, and King James I. and
to the latter steward of the household.
20. A neat monument erected to the memory of the learned Isaac
Casaubon, by Dr. Moreton, Bishop of Durham. That profound scholar and
critic whose name is inscribed upon it, was born in France, and in his
younger years was keeper of the royal library at Paris; but at length
being dissatisfied with the Romish religion, he, upon the murder of
his great patron Henry IV. quitted his native country, and at the
earnest entreaty of King James I. settled in England, where he died in
1614, aged forty-five.
21. Above this last monument, is another for John Earnest Grape, a
person well skilled in oriental learning, who is represented as large
as the life, sitting in a thoughtful posture upon a marble tomb, as if
contemplating on death.
22. Next to the west corner of the south cross is an ancient monument
to the memory of that great antiquarian William Camden, who is
represented in a half length, in the dress of his time, holding a book
in his right hand, and in his left his gloves. He rests on an altar,
on the body of which is a Latin inscription, which mentions his
indefatigable industry in illustrating the British antiquities, and
his candour, sincerity, and pleasant good humour in private life. He
died Nov. 9, 1623.
In this south cross are several stones to be met with on the pavement,
worthy of notice. Among these is one over the body of Thomas Parr, of
the county of Salop, born in 1483. He lived in the reigns of ten
Princes, King Edward IV. King Edward V. King Richard III. King Henry
VII. King Henry VIII. King Edward VI. Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth,
King James I. and King Charles I. and was interred here Nov. 15, 1635,
aged an hundred and fifty-two.
At a small distance from Parr, is a small white stone, over the body
of Sir William Davenant, who succeeded Ben Johnson as Poet Laureat to
King Charles I. and died in 1688, aged sixty-three. On this stone is
inscribed O RARE SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT! and this probably gave the
thought of putting the like inscription on the monument afterwards
erected to his predecessor Ben Johnson.
Under the pavement near Dryden’s tomb, lie the remains of Francis
Beaumont, the dramatic writer, who died in London in March, 1615, and
was buried here without either tomb or inscription.
Affixed to the pillars in this south cross, are also two table
monuments; which we shall but just mention, one for Samuel Barton,
D.D. a Prebendary of this church, who died in Sept. 1715, aged
sixty-two: and the other to the memory of Anthony Horneck, D.D. who
was born at Wittenberg in Zealand, but was educated at Oxford, and
became King’s Divinity Professor and Chaplain, a Prebendary of this
church, and a Preacher at the Savoy. This gentleman, who was
remarkable for his piety, died of the stone on the 30th of January,
1696, aged fifty-six.
23. On entering the south side, there is next the wall a monument
erected to the memory of Sophia Fairholm, Countess of Anandale. It is
the representation of an ancient sepulchre, over which a stately
edifice is raised, ornamented at the top with the family arms. She
died in the year 1716, aged forty-six; and the monumental inscription
informs us, that it was erected by her son the Marquis of Anandale, as
a mark of his duty and gratitude.
24. The monument of the brave Sir Cloudesly Shovel, who here appears a
very unmeaning figure, with a large stiff wig, reposing himself upon
velvet cushions under a canopy of state; and on the base is
represented in bas relief, the ship Association in which the Admiral
last sailed, striking against a rock, with several others perishing at
the same time, and at the top are two boys blowing trumpets.