98 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL. 



subject includes the coronation of the Virgin by the 

 Eternal Father. I feel utterly at a loss in attempting to 

 describe the delicacy of carving, the admirable finish, the 

 amazing perfection, which this sculpture shows. There is 

 nothing rough and coarse and intended for effect at a dis- 

 tance, but every face is a portrait, every feature is a study, 

 every profile is an embodiment of bliss. 



But I must not exhaust all my vocabulary of terms of 

 praise in describing the western doorway, or how shall I 

 fare when I arrive at the eastern extremity, the famous 

 capella hnperfetta, the acknowledged gem of the whole 

 pile of buildings ? Moreover, there are other and very 

 exquisite points to be touched upon midway. 



At the south-western corner of the south aisle stands 

 the founder's chapel, a building itself of no ordinary size 

 and of great architectural merit ; and in the very centre 

 of this splendid mausoleum, and raised on high, are 

 the colossal tombs of Dom Joao I. and his wife, Donna 

 Philippa of England, and round the walls stand the tombs 

 of their four children. Everything here speaks of mag- 

 nificence, careful and costly preparation, and the royal 

 will carried out to the very letter; and surely no better 

 resting-place could be desired by the most puissant poten- 

 tate than that which the founder of Batalha has here suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining for himself, his queen, and family ; for 

 be it observed, that it is one thing, even for the most 

 mighty prince, to prepare his sepulchre whilst alive, and 

 quite another to occupy it when dead : the latter a result 

 which history tells us has been very often denied even to 

 the most powerful monarchs, and of which some of the 

 most famous tombs in the world are a standing evidence 

 to this day. We could not repress a momentary feeling 

 of pride which involuntarily arose in our breasts, when we 

 saw the leopards of England quartered with Portugal 

 upon the tomb of Philippa, and were reminded thereby 

 what an influence our countrywoman undoubtedly exer- 



