Look at yon carven shield,
Above the chantry door,
No blazoned pride bedecks its field,
But emblems five sprent o'er.
There are His pierced feet,--
There are His mangled hands,--
And wounded heart,--whose latest beat
Ceased at love's sweet commands.
="Fyve wellys"=--there symbolled trace,
Hushing this mortal strife,--
"=Of pitty, merci, comfort, gracy,
And everlastingh lyffe.="
The shepherd monk of old,
Well his vocation knew,
Set it o'er gateway of the fold,
That all his flock may view.
Ere ranged in order close,
They gathered round his board,
Signs of His sorrows, sufferings, woes,
With thankfulness adored.
Seen with unseen allied,--
Trusting their happy fate,
Should some day see them glorified,
Keystone of heaven's gate.
Wayfarer of to-day,
The same tale runs for thee,
As in the ages far away,
And for all time to be.
As Sir Thomas Arundell did not get the royal grant until two years
after the dissolution of the Abbey, it is probable the work of
destruction on the fine building was considerably advanced, as but
little time as a rule was allowed to elapse before the demolition
commenced, anything that could be turned into money, such as the
bells, lead, &c., sold, and the walls pulled down and carried away for
building purposes.