LONDON. 183 



and tlie royiA jewels are kept there. Tlie lions of the Tower, upon whose life, 

 following an old legend, depended that of the sovereign, were transferred in 1834 

 to the Zoological Grardens.* 



Westminster Abbey, around which was built the city of the same name, an old 

 rival of that of London, is less ancient than the Tower. It only dates back to the 

 thirteenth centur}^, but it rises on the site of older churches, the first amongst 

 which was encircled by an arm of the Thames, long since dried up. "Westminster 

 Abbey, notwithstanding modern additions and restorations, is one of the most 

 perfect Gothic churches of England, one of those whose aspect is most harmonious. 

 The interior, though too much cumbered with mortuary monuments, is more 

 especially remarkable for its boldness and airiness. The apsidal chapel of 

 Henry YII., in which the Knights of the Most Noble Order of the Bath used to 

 meet, is ablaze with light and decorations. Arches of fairy -like grace support the 



F",rr. 95. — WesTMINSTEK AliBEY. 



fretted vault, " pendent by subtle magic,'' a marvel of constructive skill. West- 

 minster Abbey is the St. Denis and Pantheon of England thrown into one. In it 

 most of those men whose memory is venerated by the nation have found a last rest- 

 ing-place, or at least a monument has been erected to their memory. But besides 

 men of distinction, how many are there not who have found a place in this edifice 

 who were great only in birth, wealth, or in their own conceit; and in addition 

 to works of the sculptor's art, great in design and sober in taste, how frequently 

 are we not offended by ridiculous allegories and boastful inscriptions ! Amongst 

 the most remarkable monuments are the sarcophagus of Henry YII. and his wife, 

 and the seated statue of Lord Mansfield ; but who could pass without notice the 

 monuments or tombstones of Edward the Confessor, Edward III., Jane Seymour, 

 Mary Stuart, or Queen Elizabeth, or those of statesmen such as Monk, Canning, 

 * Hepworth Dixon, "The Tower of London." 



