82 



THE 



|HE abbey church of Malmesbury must, when perfect, have 

 claimed a very high place among our ecclesiastical edifices, 

 being conceived on the fullest cathedral type, on a scale surpassing 

 several churches of cathedral rank, and carried out with a very high 

 degree of merit in its actual architecture. At present, a fragment 

 only exists ; six bays out of the nine which formed the nave are 

 used as the parish church, and some small portions remain in a 

 ruinated state to the east and west ; happily indeed enough, com- 

 bined with certain historical indications, to re-construct in imagi- 

 nation all the principal features of this magnificent building. 



With the early history of this renowned monastery I have at 

 present no concern. Of the kings, saints, and abbots whose names 

 are connected with the first six centuries of its existence, I have 

 nothing to mention, save that tradition still points out the resting- 

 place of the greatest of their number. What Harold is to Walt ham, 

 Waltheof to Crowland, and Simon of Montfort to Evesham, 

 " glorious .ZEthalstan " was to the no less venerable pile of Mal- 

 mesbury. I need not go about to sTiow that the tomb and statue 

 which are exhibited as those of the patron hero must have been 

 renewed many centuries after his death ; but as we know that such 

 complete renewals of the tombs of memorable men were by no 

 means unusual in the middle ages, I would fain believe, if no strong 

 historical argument can be brought to the contrary, that the 

 monument to which the guide still conducts the stranger as that 

 of the vanquisher of Scot and Northman, does really cover the 

 dust, though it may not represent the form, of one of the foremost 

 among the bright galaxy of our true and native kings. 1 Now, 



1 The position of the tomb need form no difficulty. Doubtless its original 

 place was near the high altar; but when the eastern part of the church was 



