GLASTONBURY ABBEY. 95 
many of you are probably better acquainted with 
both the history and remains of Glastonbury 
than myself. The best excuse for the under- 
taking is, that we are assembled at the place itself, 
and that there can hardly be a fitter subject 
for the attention of the Archaeological section of 
a Somersetshire Society, at their annual meeting, 
than the history and remains of one of the most 
noble relics of days gone by, to be found either in this 
or any other county. Without then any further 
preface beyond offering my thanks to my colleagues 
ofthe Archaeological section of the society, by whose 
kind assistance I have been enabled to produce this 
sketch, such as it is, I will at once proceed to give 
a brief abstract of the history of that magnificent 
establishment, the Abbey of Glastonbury, and a de- 
scription of those venerable and beautiful remains 
which still bear witness to its former splendour. 
To those who hope for salvation through faith in 
Jesus Christ, the circumstances attending the first 
introduction of that faith into these islands, cannot 
but be a subject of very great interest; but, unfor- 
tunately, on this point we have no surer guide 
than tradition. It is certain that the Gospel was 
preached in this country as early as the first 
century, and made such progress, that Lucius 
King of the Britons is said to have built a 
magnificent cathedral at Winchester about the 
middle ofthe second century. But of this very apo- 
eryphal potentate little or nothing is really known ; 
