gentleman was of a noble family in Normandy, and was employed in the army
of France, in which he rose to the rank of Marshal; but retiring to
Holland, he was from thence invited by 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 had a very sprightly turn
both in conversation and writing. He lived to the age of ninety, and was
carried off at last by a violent fit of the stranguary, September 9, 1703.
Though he left France, as it may be imagined, on account of religion, yet
in his will he left twenty pounds to poor Roman Catholics, and twenty
pounds to poor French refugees; besides other legacies to be disposed of
to those in distress, of what religion soever they might be.
MATTHEW PRIOR.--The bust was done by order of the King of France. On one
side of the pedestal stands the figure of Thalia, one of the nine Muses,
with a flute in her hand; and on the other, History, with her book shut;
between both is the bust of the deceased, upon a raised altar of fine
marble; on the outermost side of which is a Latin inscription, importing
that while he was busied in writing the history of his own times, Death
interposed, and broke both the thread of his discourse and of his life,
Sept. 18, 1721, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. Over the bust is a
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 a long
inscription, reciting the principal employments in which he had been
engaged; particularly that, by order of King William and Queen Mary; he
assisted at the Congress of the Confederate Powers of the Hague, in 1690;
in 1697 was one of the Plenipotentiaries of the Peace of Ryswick: and in
the following year was of the embassy to France and also Secretary of
State in Ireland. In 1700, he was made one of the Board of Trade; in 1711,
First Commissioner of the Customs; and lastly, in the same year, was sent
by Queen Anne to Louis XIV. of France, with proposals of peace. All these
trusts he executed with uncommon address and abilities, and had retired
from public business, when a violent cholic, occasioned by a cold, carried
him off; by which the world was deprived of an invaluable treasure, which
he was preparing to lay before the public.--_Rysbrack, sculptor. Bust by
Coizevox._
"Sacred to the best of men, WILLIAM MASON, A.M., a Poet, if any, elegant,
correct, and pious. Died 7th of April, 1797, aged seventy-two."--It is a
neat piece of sculpture. A medallion of the deceased is held up by a
figure of Poetry, bemoaning the loss.--_Bacon, sculptor._
THOMAS SHADWELL.--This monument was erected by Dr. John Shadwell, to the
memory of his deceased father. The inscription sets forth that he was
descended from an ancient family in Staffordshire, was Poet Laureate and
Historiographer in the reign of William III., and died November 20, 1692,
in the fifty-fifth year of his age. He was author of several plays, and
was satirized by Dryden, under the character of Ogg, in the second part of
Absalom and Architophel. He died at Chelsea, by taking opium, and was
there buried.--_Bird, sculptor._
JOHN MILTON.--He was a great polemical and political writer, and Latin
Secretary to Oliver Cromwell; but what has immortalized his name, are
those two inimitable pieces, Paradise Lost and Regained. He was born in
London in 1604, and died at Bunhill (perhaps the same as Bunhill Fields)
in 1674, leaving three daughters behind him unprovided for, and was buried
at St. Giles's, Cripplegate. In 1737, Mr. Auditor Benson erected this
monument to his memory.--_Rysbrack, sculptor._
Under Milton is an elegant monument erected to the memory of Mr. GRAY.
This monument seems expressive of the compliment contained in the epitaph,
where the Lyric Muse, in alt-relief, is holding a medallion of the Poet,
and at the same time pointing the finger up to the bust of Milton, which
is directly over it.
"No more the Grecian muse unrival'd reigns;
To Britain let the nations homage pay:
She felt a Homer's fire in Milton's strains,
A Pindar's rapture in the lyre of Gray."
Died July 30, 1771, aged fifty-four, and was buried at Stoke.--_John
Bacon, sculptor._
SAMUEL BUTLER.--This tomb, as by the inscription appears, was erected by
John Barber, Esq., Lord Mayor of London, _that he who was destitute of all
things when alive, might not want a monument when dead_. He was author of
Hudibras, and was a man of consummate learning, wit, and pleasantry,
peculiarly happy in his writings, though he reaped small advantages from
them, and suffered great distress by reason of his narrow circumstances.
He lived, however, to a good old age, and was buried at the expense of Mr.
Longueville, in the churchyard of St. Paul, Covent Garden. He was born at
Strencham, in Worcestershire, in 1612, and died in London, 1680.
EDMUND SPENCER.--Beneath Mr. Butler's, there was a rough decayed tomb of
Purbeck stone, to the memory of Mr. Edmund Spencer, one of the best
English poets, which being much decayed, a subscription was set on foot,
by the liberality of Mr. Mason, in 1778, to restore it. The subscription
succeeded, and the monument was restored as nearly as possible to the old
form, but in statuary marble. His works abound with innumerable beauties
and such a variety of imagery, as is scarce to be found in any other
writer, ancient or modern. On this monument is this inscription:--"Here
lies (expecting the second coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus) the body of
Edmund Spencer, the Prince of Poets in his time, whose divine spirit needs
no other witness than the works which he left behind him. He was born in
London in 1553, and died in 1598."
BEN JONSON.--This monument is of fine marble, and is very neatly
ornamented with emblematical figures, alluding, perhaps, to the malice and
envy of his contemporaries. His epitaph--"_O Rare Ben Jonson!_"--is cut in
the pavement where he is buried in the North Aisle. He was Poet Laureate
to James I., and contemporary with Shakspeare, to whose writings, when
living, he was no friend, though, when dead, he wrote a Poem prefixed to
his Plays, which does him the amplest justice. His father was a clergyman,
and he was educated at Westminster School while Mr. Carden was Master; but
after his father's death, his mother marrying a bricklayer, he was forced
from school, and made to lay bricks. There is a story told of him, that at
the building of Lincoln's Inn, he worked with his trowel in one hand, and
Horace in the other; but Mr. Carden, regarding his parts, recommended him
to Sir Walter Raleigh, whose son he attended in his travels, and upon his
return entered himself at Cambridge. He died the 16th of August, 1637,
aged sixty-three.--_Rysbrack, sculptor._
[Illustration: POETS CORNER WESTMINSTER ABBEY]
On the left is a monument to MICHAEL DRAITON. The inscription and epitaph
were formerly in letters of gold, but now almost obliterated, and
therefore are here preserved:--"Michael Draiton, 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 _Draiton'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 treasure of his name,
His name, that cannot fade, shall be
An everlasting monument to thee."
This gentleman was both an excellent poet and a learned antiquarian.
Over the monument to Ben Jonson is a window given by Dr. Rogers; it
represents David and St. John, the poets of the Old and New
Testaments.--_Clayton and Bell._
BARTON BOOTH, Esq., elegantly designed and well executed. His bust is
placed between two cherubs, one holding a wreath over his head in the act
of crowning him: the other in a very pensive attitude, holding a scroll,
on which is inscribed his descent from an ancient family in Lancashire,
his admission into Westminster School, under Dr. Busby, his qualifications
as an actor, which procured him both the royal patronage and the public
applause. He died in 1733, in the fifty-fourth year of his age; and this
monument was erected by his surviving widow in 1772.--_W. Tyler,
sculptor._
Mr. JOHN PHILLIPS.--The bust of this gentleman, in relief, is here
represented as in an arbour interwoven with laurel branches and apple
trees; and over it is this motto--"_Honos erat huic quoque Pomo_;"
alluding to the high qualities ascribed to the apple, in that excellent
poem of his called Cider. He was son of Stephen Phillips, D.D., Archdeacon
of Salop; was born at Bampton, in Oxfordshire, December 30, 1676, and died
at Hereford, Feb. 15, 1708, of a consumption, in the prime of life.
GEOFFREY CHAUCER.--This has been a very beautiful monument in the Gothic
style, but is now much defaced, and is generally passed over with a
superficial glance, except by those who never suffer anything curious to
escape their notice. Geoffrey Chaucer, to whose name it is sacred, is
called the Father of English Poets, and flourished in the fourteenth
century. He was son of Sir John Chaucer, a citizen of London, and employed
by Edward III. in negociations abroad relating to trade. He was a great
favourite at court, and married the great John of Gaunt's wife's sister.
He was born in 1328, and died Oct. 25, 1400. This monument was erected by
Nicholas Bingham, of Oxford, in 1556.
The memorial window to CHAUCER, immediately over his tomb, is intended to
embody his intellectual labour, and his position amongst his
contemporaries. At the base are the Canterbury Pilgrims, showing the
setting out from London, and the arrival at Canterbury. The medallions
above represent Chaucer receiving a commission, with others, in 1372, from
King Edward III. to the Doge of Genoa, and his reception by the latter. At
the apex, the subjects are taken from the moral poem entitled "The Floure
and the Leafe." "As they which honour the Flower, a thing fading with
every blast, are such as look after beauty and worldly pleasure; but they
that honour the Leaf, which abideth with the root, notwithstanding the
frost and winter storms, are they which follow virtue and during
qualities, without regard to worldly respects." On the dexter side,
dressed in white, is the Lady of the Leafe, and attendants; on the
sinister side is the Lady of the Floure, dressed in green. In the
spandrils adjoining are the Arms of Chaucer. On the dexter side, and on
the sinister, Chaucer impaling these of (Roet) his wife. In the tracery
above, the portrait of Chaucer occupies the centre, between that of Edward
III. and Philippa his wife; below them Gower and John of Gaunt, and above
are Wickliffe and Strode, his contemporaries. In the borders are disposed
the following arms, alternately: England, France, Hainhault, Lancaster,
Castile, and Leon. At the base of the window is the name Geoffrey Chaucer,
died A.D. 1400, and four lines selected from the poem entitled, "Balade of
Gode Counsaile."
"Flee fro the prees, and dwell with soth fastnesse,
Suffise unto thy good though it be small;"
* * * * *
"That thee is sent receyve in buxomnesse;
The wrastling for this world asketh a fall."
This window was designed by Mr. J. G. Waller, and executed by Messrs.
Thomas Baillie, and George Mayer, 118, Wardour Street, London, 1868.
EXPLANATION OF THE SUBJECTS.--The Pilgrims are arranged in the following
manner:--The Departure from the Tabard, thus:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
1. The Reve. |4. The Knight. |7. The Serjeant of Law.
2. The Manciple. |5. The Yeoman. |8. The Shipmanne.
3. Chaucer. |6. The Squire. |9. The Doctor of Physick.
The Arrival at Canterbury, thus:
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
10. The Somptnour. |13. The Monk. |16. The Frankelein.
11. The Pardoner. |14. The Prioress. |17. The Plowman.
12. The Parson. |15. The Nun. |18. The Clerk of Oxenforde.
_Arrangement of Portraits in Tracery._
Wickliffe. Strode.
Edward III. Chaucer. Philippa.
Gower. John of Gaunt.
Above is a neat monument to the memory of John Roberts, Esq., the very
faithful Secretary of the Right Honourable Henry Pelham, Minister of State
to George II. This marble was erected by his three surviving sisters, in
1776.--_Hayward, sculptor._
ABRAHAM COWLEY.--This monument, though apparently plain, is very
expressive; the chaplet of laurel that begirts his urn, and the fire
issuing from the mouth of the urn, are fine emblems of the glory he
acquired by the spirit of his writings. The Latin inscription and epitaph
on the pedestal is thus translated into English:--"Near this place lies
Abraham Cowley, the Pindar, Horace, and Virgil of England; and the
delight, ornament and admiration of his age:--
"While, Sacred Bard, far worlds thy works proclaim.
And you survive in an immortal fame,
Here may you, bless'd in pleasant quiet, lie!
To guard thy urn may hoary Faith stand by!
And all thy fav'rite tuneful Nine repair
To watch thy dust with a perpetual care!
Sacred for ever may this place be made,
And may no desp'rate 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 to 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 buried August 3, 1667." His
grave is just before the monument, as appears by a blue stone, on which is
engraven his name.--_John Bushnell, sculptor._
Affixed to the pillar, on the left, is a tablet to the memory of Mrs.
MARTHA BIRCH, who was daughter of Samuel Viner, Esq., and first married to
Francis Millington, Esq., afterwards to Peter Birch, Prebendary of this
Abbey. She died May 25, 1703, in the fiftieth year of her age.
The next monument was erected to the memory of Mr. JOHN DRYDEN, by the
late Duke of Buckingham, who valued his writings so much that he thought
no inscription necessary to spread his fame.--"J. Dryden, born 1632, died
May 1, 1700. John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, erected this monument,
1720."--_Scheemakers, sculptor._
Against the screen of the Choir, is the monument of ROBERT SOUTH, D.D.,
who is represented in a cumbent posture, in his canonical habit, with his
arm resting on a cushion, and his right hand on a Death's head. In his
left he holds a book, with his finger between the leaves, as if just
closed from reading; and over his head is a group of cherubs issued from a
mantling, beneath which is a long Latin inscription, showing that he was
scholar to Busby, and student at Christ Church, Oxford, and Public Orator
of that University; that, by the patronage of Lord Clarendon, he was made
Prebendary both of Westminster and Christ's, and afterwards Rector of
Islip, where he rebuilt the parsonage-house, and founded and endowed a
school. His sermons have a peculiar turn, and are still much admired. He
died July 8, 1716, aged eighty-two.--_Bird, sculptor._
Between this and Dr. Busby, a small portion of ANN of CLEVES' monument is
to be perceived. She was sister of the Duke of Cleves, was contracted in
marriage to Henry VIII., and received with great pomp on Blackheath,
January 3, 1539, married to the king on the 9th, and in July following
divorced, with liberty to marry again; but being sensibly touched with the
indignity put upon her, she lived retired in England, with the title of
Lady Ann, of Cleves, and saw the rival who supplanted her suffer a worse
fate. She survived the King four years, and died in 1557.
A still more unfortunate Queen lies near this last, without a monument;
viz., ANNE, Queen of Richard III., and daughter of Nevil, the great Earl
of Warwick. This lady was poisoned by that monster of cruelty, her
husband, to make way for his marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of his
brother, Edward IV., and sister of the unhappy youths he had caused to be
murdered in the Tower, which marriage he never lived to consummate, being
slain at the battle of Bosworth Field.
Above is a tablet to Dr. Vincent, with the inscription thus
translated:--"Here rests whatever is mortal of WILLIAM VINCENT, who having
received his education in this College, returned to it when he had
completed his academical studies, and from the situation of Junior Usher,
arose to that of Head Master; he was at length exalted to the office of
Dean of the Church, for which he entertained the greatest affection: on
the subject of his life, his literary attainments, and his moral
character, let this monumental stone be silent. He owes his origin to the
respectable family of the Vincents, of Shepy, in the county of Leicester;
he was born in London, 2nd November, 1739, and died on the 21st December,
1815."
Doctor RICHARD BUSBY.--On this fine monument is the effigy of this learned
grammarian in his gown, looking earnestly at the inscription. In his right
hand he holds a pen, and in his left a book open. Underneath, upon the
pedestal, are a variety of books, and at the top are his family arms. The
inscription is very elegantly written, and highly to his praise;
intimating that whatever fame the school of Westminster boasts, and
whatever advantage mankind shall reap from thence in times to come, are
all principally owing to the wise institutions of this great man. He was
born at Lutton, in Lincolnshire, September 22, 1606; made Master of
Westminster College, December 23, 1640; elected Prebendary of Westminster,
July 5th, 1660, and Treasurer of Wells, August 11th, the same year; and
died April 5th, 1695.--_Bird, sculptor._
Affixed to the pillars in this cross are two tablets; one to the memory of
Dr. ANTHONY HORNECK, who was born at Wettenburgh, in Zealand, but educated
at Queen's College, Oxford; was King's Divinity Professor and Chaplain, a
Prebendary of this Church, and Preacher at the Savoy. He died of the
stone, January 31, 1696, aged fifty-six. The other to the memory of Dr.
SAMUEL BARTON, a Prebendary of this Church, and a person of admirable
genius and learning. He died September 1715, aged sixty-eight.
In front of Dr. Barrow's monument, lies the remains of that once
celebrated poet, Sir WILLIAM DAVENANT, who, upon the death of Ben Jonson,
succeeded him as Poet Laureate to Charles I., but having lost his nose by
an _accident_, was cruelly bantered by the wits of the succeeding reign.
He was a vintner's son at Oxford, whose wife, being a woman of admirable
wit and sprightly conversation, drew the politest men of that age to their
house, among whom Shakspeare was said to be a frequent visitor. His
education was at Lincoln College, where he became acquainted with Endimion
Porter, Henry Jermain, and Sir John Suckling. He died in 1668, aged
sixty-three.
Not far from Davenant lies Sir ROBERT MURRAY, a great Mathematician, and
one of the founders of the Royal Society, of which he was the first
President, and while he lived the very soul of that body. He died
suddenly, July 4, 1673, in the garden at Whitehall, and was buried at the
King's expense.
In front of Dryden's monument, is an ancient stone, on which, by the marks
indented, has been the image of a man in armour. This covers the body of
ROBERT HAULE, who, at the battle of Najara, in Spain, in Richard II.'s
time, together with John Shakel, his comrade, took the Earl of Denia
prisoner, who, under pretence of raising money for his ransom, obtained
his liberty, leaving his son as a hostage in their hands. Upon their
coming to England, the Duke of Lancaster demanded him for the King; but
they refused to deliver him up without the ransom, and were therefore both
committed to the Tower, from whence escaping, they took sanctuary in this
Abbey. Sir Ralp Ferreris and Alan Buxal, the one Governor, the other
Captain of the Tower, with fifty men, pursued them, and having, by fair
promises, gained over Shakel, they attempted to seize Haule by force, who
made a desperate defence, but being overpowered by numbers, was slain,
August 11, 1378, in the choir before the prior's stall, commending himself
to God, the avenger of wrongs. A servant of the Abbey fell with him.
Shakel they threw into prison, but afterwards set him at liberty, and the
King and Council agreed to pay the ransom of his prisoner, 500 marks, and
100 marks a-year. Some years afterwards Shakel died, and was buried here
in 1396.
Under the pavement, near Dryden's tomb, lie the remains of FRANCIS
BEAUMONT, the dramatic writer, who died in London in 1628, and was buried
here, March 9, without tomb or inscription.
The new stained glass windows at the south end of the Transept of the
Abbey were executed by Messrs. Thomas Ward and J. H. Nixon, 1847:
description as follows:--
In the centre of the Rose Window, the name "JEHOVAH;" in the circle
surrounding the figures of angels.
In the large circle of surrounding lights are thirty-two separate subjects
taken from the principal incidents, miracles, and events in the life and
sufferings of our blessed Redeemer.
The height of the figures are nearly three feet. The subjects selected for
this circle are as follows:
1. The nativity of Jesus Christ.--_Luke_ ii. 7, &c.
2. Simeon's prophecy.--_Luke_ ii. 25.
3. Jesus reasoning with the doctors.--_Luke_ ii. 46.
4. The baptism of St. John the Baptist.--_Matt._ iii. 13.
5. The preaching on the Mount.--_Matt._ v. 1, &c.
6. Water made wine.--_John_ ii. 4.
7. The money changers expelled from the Temple.--_Matt._ xxi. 12.
8. The woman of Samaria.--_John_ iv. 7.
9. Walking on the sea.--_Matt._ xiv. 29.
10. Raising of Jairus' daughter.--_Mark_ v. 41.
11. The pool of Bethesda.--_John_ v. 4, &c.
12. The Centurion's faith.--_Matt._ viii. 8, &c.
13. John's disciples sent to Christ.--_Matt._ xi. 2, &c.
14. The Magdalen anointing the feet of Christ.--_John_ xii. 3.
15. The Syrophenician woman.--_Matt._ xv. 15.
16. The feeding of the multitude.--_Matt._ xiv. 15.
17. The lunatic boy cured.--_Matt._ xvii. 14, &c.
18. Peter, the fish, and Temple tribute.--_Matt._ xvii. 27.
19. The blind man healed.--_Mark_ viii. 25.
20. Lazarus raised.--_John_ xi. 43.
21. The entry into Jerusalem.--_Matt._ xxi. 1.
22. The tribute to Cæsar.--_Matt._ xxii. 15 and 21.
23. Little children brought to Christ.--_Mark_ x. 13.
24. The young rich man's question.--_Mark_ x. 17.
25. The widow's son restored.--_Luke_ vii. 11.
26. The agony in the garden.--_Matt._ xxvi. 39.
27. Jesus Christ captive before Pilate.--_Matt._ xxvii. 1, 2, &c.
28. Jesus Christ shown to the people.--_John_ xix. 5.
29. The Crucifixion.--_John_ xix. 25, &c.
30. The Resurrection.--_Matt._ xxviii. 1, &c.
31. Appearance to Mary Magdalen.--_John_ xx. 11.
32. The Ascension.--_Acts_ i. 9, &c.
The decorations which surround this circle are scrolages and ornaments of
mosaic work on coloured grounds suited to the rest, among which are also
interwoven the following symbols:--
1. I.H.S. at the Nativity.
2. The angel, the symbol of St. Matt.
3. The Paschal Lamb.
4. Cherub's head.
5. The pelican, as symbol of the Church.
6. Cherub's head.
7. The lion, the symbol of St. Mark.
8. The triangle, the symbol of the Trinity.
9. The hart, athirst for the water brooks.
10. The ox, the symbol of St. Luke.
11. Cherub's head.
12. The sacramental cup.
13. Cherub's head.
14. The dove descending.
15. The eagle, the symbol of St. John.
16. [Greek: A.Ô.]
In the left quatrefoil, at the corner, are the arms of the Abbacy; in the
right the arms of the reigning sovereign; in the head of the arches
beneath are figures of angels holding scrolls.
The subjects for the twelve lower windows are selected from the Old
Testament, and are as follows:--
1. Noah's sacrifice.--_Gen._ viii. 20.
2. Abraham and the angels.--_Gen._ xviii. 1.
3. Jacob's dream.--_Gen._ xxviii. 12.
4. Joseph interpreting Pharoah's dream.--_Gen._ xli. 25.
5. The finding of Moses.--_Ex._ ii. 5.
6. Moses before the burning bush.--_Ex._ iii. 2.
7. Moses striking the rock.--_Ex._ xvii. 5.
8. Moses with the tables of the law.--_Ex._ xx. 20.
9. David chosen from among his brothers, and anointed by Samuel.--_1
Sam._ xvi. 13.
10. Dedication of the Temple by Solomon.--_1 Kings_ viii. 22.
11. Elijah's sacrifice.--_1 Kings_ xviii. 37, &c.
12. Josiah renewing the Covenant.--_2 Kings_ xxii. 3, &c.