CATHEDRAL and SCHOOL, Me. 187 
LETTER LX. 
To the fame . 
Madam, 
T HE cathedral of winchester has been lately beautified, 
infomuch that from the frefhnefs of the ftone in the in- 
fide, it looks like a new building : they acknowledge that it cods 
a confiderable fum to keep it in repair. This church is a mafiy 
pile, which did not raife in me the idea of elegance or propriety, 
tho’ for grandeur and ufefulnefs, with refpedt to the worfhip of 
god, it mull be confidered as high in rank. It was finished at 
the clofe of the fourteenth century, and is confequently above 
three hundred and fifty years old. As this church was the bu- 
rying place of our antient kings, there are yet the remains of 
tombs, which attract the eyes of the curious • in particular they 
{how two ftone coffins with arched tops, the inferiptions of 
which are entirely worn out, if they ever had any. The one is 
faid to be of lucius our firft chriftian king, whofe death fome 
reckon to be about one hundred and eighty years after christ ; 
tho’ it is generally thought that fuch a man as lucius never 
exifted. The other is of st. s with in, faid to be interred there 
about the year eight hundred and fifty. They forgot to tell us 
that thefe coffins were removed from other churches ; you may 
fuppofe that a church flood on the fame fpot, which, in procels.. 
of time, yielded place to the prefent folemn temple. 
To come down to later times, there is the monument of wil- 
liam rufus, who was killed in the new forefl ; and by the 
B b 2 fides 
