Septimus Hic Situs Est Henricus Gloria Regum
Cunctorum, Ipsius Qui Tempestate Fuerunt;
Ingenio Atque; Opibus Gestarum Et Nomine Rerum,
Accessere Quibus Naturae Dona Benignae:
Frontis Honos Facies Augusta Heroica Forma,
Junctaque Ei Suavis Conjux Per Pulchra Pudica,
Et Faecunda Fuit; Felices Prole Parentes,
Henricum Quibus Octavum Terra Anglia Debet.
Under the figure of the king.
Hic jacet Henricus ejus nominis septimus, Anglicae quondam rex,
Edmundi Richmondiae comitis filius, qui die 22 Aug. Rex creatus,
statim post apud Westmonasterium die 30 Octob. coronatur 1485.
Moritur deinde 21 die Aprilis anno aetat. 53, regnavit annos 23,
menses 8, minus uno die.
Under the queen's figure.
Hic jacet regina Elizabetha, Edvardi quarti quondam regis filia,
Edvardi quinti regis quondam nominatur soror: Henrici septimi olim
regis conjux, atque; Henrici octavi regis mater inclyta; obiit autem
suum diem in turri Londoniarum die secund. Feb. anno Domini 1502,
37 annorum aetate functa.
The modern tombs in the abbey, best worth the viewing, are those of
the duke of Newcastle, on the left hand as we enter the north door,
of Sir Isaac Newton, at the west end of the choir, of Sir Godfrey
Kneller, and Mr. Secretary Craggs at the west end of the abbey, of
Mr. Prior among the poets at the door which faces the Old Palace
Yard, of the Duke of Buckingham in Henry VII.th's chapel, and that
of Doctor Chamberlain on the North side of the choir: most of these
are admirable pieces of sculpture, and show that the statuary's art
is not entirely lost in this country; though it must be confessed
the English fall short of the Italians in this science.
Westminster Hall is one of the largest rooms in Europe, being two
hundred and twenty-eight feet in length, fifty-six feet broad, and
ninety feet high. The walls are of stone, the windows of the Gothic
form, the floor stone, and the roof of timber covered with lead; and
having not one pillar in it, is supported by buttresses. It is
usually observed that there are no cobwebs ever seen in this hall,
and the reason given for this is, that the timber of which the roof
is composed is Irish oak, in which spiders will not harbour; but I
am inclined to believe that this is a fact not to be depended on,
for I find the timber for rebuilding and repairing the Palace of
Westminster in the reign of Richard III. was brought from the
forests in Essex; and as there is no colour from history to surmise
that the timber of this hall was Irish oak, so is there no
imaginable reason why timber should be fetched from another kingdom
for the repair of the hall, when the counties of Middlesex and Essex
were great part of them forest, and afforded timber enough to have
built twenty such places; and we find that the timber of the Essex
forests was in fact applied to the repairs of this palace; for it
cannot be pretended that the present roof is the same that was
erected by William Rufus when it was first built, it appearing that
Richard II., about the year 1397, caused the old roof to be taken
down and a new one made (as has been observed already) and this is
probably the same we now see.
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