Historical Description of Westminster Abbey, Its Monuments and CuriositiesAnonymous
History
Historical Description of Westminster Abbey, Its Monuments and Curiosities
Anonymous
Westminster Abbey
"Briton! behold, if patriot worth be dear,
A shrine that claims a tributary tear;
Silent that tongue admiring senates heard,
Nerveless that arm opposing legions fear'd.
Nor less, O Campbell! thine the power 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."
Underneath this, in great letters, is written--"JOHN, DUKE OF ARGYLE AND
GR--" at which point the pen of History rests. 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, Bart., by his last
will, left the sum of 500_l._ towards erecting this monument, and
recommended the above inscription."
Over the door of the Chapel of St. Faith, is the monument of OLIVER
GOLDSMITH, M.D., representing the portrait of the Doctor in profile. A
festoon curtain, olive branches, and books, are the chief ornaments.
Underneath is a Latin inscription, of which the following is the
import:--"That he was eminent as a Poet, Philosopher, and Historian; that
he scarcely left any species of writing unattempted, and none that he
attempted, unimproved; that he was master of the softer passions, and
could at pleasure command tears, or provoke laughter; but in everything he
said or did, good nature was predominant; that he was witty, sublime,
spirited, and facetious; in speech pompous; in conversation elegant and
graceful; that the love of his associates, fidelity of his friends, and
the veneration of his readers, _had raised this monument to his memory_.
He was born in Ireland, November 29, 1731, educated at Dublin, and died
at London, April 4, 1774, and was buried in the Temple burial
ground."--_Nollekens, sculptor._
Near to the door of the Chapel of St. Faith is a black marble slab, which
covers the remains of CHARLES DICKENS, born Feb. 7th, 1812, died June 9th,
1870. And near to him are the remains of Handel, Cumberland, Macaulay,
Sheridan, Garrick, Samuel Johnson, and Thomas Parr, of the county of
Salop, born 1483, who lived in the reign of ten Princes: viz., Edward IV.,
Edward V., Richard III., Henry VII., Henry VIII., Edward VI., Queen Mary,
Queen Elizabeth, James I., and Charles I. He died Nov. 15th, 1635, at the
age of 152.
A monument erected to the memory of JOHN GAY, by the bounty and favour of
the Duke and Duchess of Queensberry, who were the great encouragers of his
genius. The masks, tragedy, dagger, and instruments of music, which are
blended together in a group are emblematical devices, alluding to the
various ways of writing in which he excelled: namely, farce, satire,
fable, and pastoral. The short epitaph on the front was written by
himself. It is censured by some for its levity,--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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