6 The Seventeenth General Meeting. 
myself, and everyone in this room under her severe loss. I fear 
that under the circumstances we must put off our visit to Wilton 
House. It would be indelicate to intrude upon Lady Herbert’s 
privacy at this moment. The historical reminiscences of Wilton 
House are immense, and cannot be satisfactorily enlarged upon in a 
short address, but I trust that an abler pen than mine will sketch 
for you the principal events in which members of the house of 
Pembroke took part, while in the memory of us all we know how 
Sidney Herbert has added to the lustre of his family by merits 
peculiarly his own. Time will not permit me to dwell upon the 
many points of interest to be met with at Wilton, but I shall 
endeavour very briefly to draw your attention to its history. Once 
the chief town in Wiltshire, its monastic history alone is fraught 
with interesting episodes, and details of conventual life, but prac- 
tically we find that after the dissolution of the monasteries, in 
which Sir William Herbert (the first earl of Pembroke of the name 
of Herbert) took no small part, and certainly reaped a benefit, the 
“way was opened for a progressive course of national improvement, 
which was rather impeded than otherwise by the narrowed ideas of 
men constantly immured within their convent wall. Wilton lays 
claim to attention as having been the residence of King Egbert, 
who came, as the old chronicler recites, to dwell “ nine long winters 
in rest and peace,” and that of his successors, who frequently lived 
there. It was in those days “a good town, and resorted to by much 
people.” In the reign of Edgar the attractions of tlie place caused 
the king in his progress from Shaftesbury to Winchester to stop 
there; for, says the chronicler, 
‘¢ He came to Wilton at the last, 
And a new fair church saw he, 
And he also appears to have seen in the church a baron’s fair daughter, 
in whom he took a very lively interest. A daughter of the fair 
Wulfrith at the age of fifteen became Abbess of Wilton, and was 
as celebrated for her skill in smging, writing, painting, embroidery, 
music, and sculpture, as for her meekness, charity, and self-denial. 
‘The Danes, as a matter of course, could not leave Wilton alone, and 
its monastery suffered from their lawless incursions, but on the 
