h5 3 LON 
terwards occupied by Weftminfter-market; which, in its 
turn, has given way to a new feflions-houfe, for the ac¬ 
commodation of the Weftminfter magiftrates. 
To the weft of the Sanffuary flood the Eleemofynary, 
or Almonry, where the alms of the abbey tiled to be 
diftributed ; but it is more remarkable for having been 
the place where the firft printing-prefs ever known in 
England was fet up. Here, in 1474, William Caxton, 
probably encouraged by the learned Thomas Milling, at 
that time abbot, produced “The Game and Play of the 
Cheffe,” the firft book printed in thefe kingdoms. There 
is a flight difference of opinion refpefling the exafl place 
where this book was printed ; but all agree that it was 
fomewhere within the precinfls of this religious houfe. 
Not more than thirty feet from the north door of the 
abbey, ftands the parift)-church of St. Margaret, originally 
erected by Edward the Confeffor, who, having refolveil 
to rebuild the conventual church of St. Peter with great 
magnificence, imagined that it would be a difhonour to 
his new and ftately edifice, to have the neighbouring com¬ 
mon people affemble in it as ufual for religious worfnip, 
as well as prove troublefome and inconvenient to the 
monks; therefore, about the year 1064, he caufed a 
church to be erefled on the north fide of St. Peter’s, for 
the life of the neighbouring inhabitants, and dedicated it 
to St. Margaret, the virgin and martyr of Antioch. This 
church was rebuilt in the reign of king Edward I. by the 
parifhioners and the merchants of the ftaple, except the 
chance], which was ereffed at the charge of the abbot of 
Weftminfter. In the year 1735, it was not only repaired, 
but its tower was cafed, at the expenfe of three thoufand 
five hundred pounds, granted by parliament, in confidera- 
tion of its being the church w here the houfe of commons 
attend divine fervice on ftated holidays, as the peers do 
in Weftminfter-abbey. This church is honoured w ith the 
remains of the great fir Walter Raleigh, who was interred 
here the fame day he was beheaded in Old Palace-yard.— 
It is a plain, neat, and not-inelegant, gothic ftruflure, 
well lighted by a feries of large windows. It has two 
handfome galleries of confiderable length, adorned in the 
front with carved work : thefe are fupported by flender 
pillars, which rife to the roof, and have four fmall black 
pillars running along each of them, adorned with gilded 
capitals both at the galleries and at the top, where the fiat 
roof is neatly ornamented with ftucco. The fteeple con- 
fifts of a tower, which rifes to a confiderable height, and 
is crowned with a turret at each corner, and a fmall lan¬ 
tern, ornamented with carved work in the centre; from 
whence rifes a flag-ftaff. In 1758, this church was again 
repaired and ornamented at the public expenfe; and, re¬ 
cently, the infide has been entirely rebuilt, and a new 
porch added at the weft end. At the eaft end of the 
church is a very beautiful window of painted glafs, made 
by order of the magiftrates of Dort, in Holland, and de¬ 
signed by them as a prefent to king Henry VII. for his 
chapel in the abbey. But, that monarch dying before it 
was finifhed, it was fet up in the private chapel of the ab¬ 
bot of Waltham, at Copt-hall, near Epping. At the dif- 
folution of that monaftery, it was removed to New-hall, 
in Efl'ex, which coming afterwards into the polfeflion of 
general Monk, he preferved the window from the deftroy- 
ing hands of the fanatics. In 1758, when this church 
underwent a thorough repair, it was purchafed by the in¬ 
habitants, from the then owner, for four hundred guineas, 
and placed in its prefent fituation. The fubjefl is the 
Crucifixion ; a devil is reprefented carrying off the foul of 
the hardened thief, and an angel receiving that of the 
penitent one. There are many fubordinnte figures, which 
are finely executed. On one fide is Henry VII. and on 
the other his queen, both kneeling : their portraits were 
taken from original piflures fent to Dort for that purpofe. 
Over the king is the figure of St. George, the patron- 
faint of England ; and, above that, a white role and a red one. 
Over the queen is the figure of Sr. Catharine of Alexandria, 
and, above her head, the arms of the kingdom o 1 Grenada. 
DON. 
This church is a reflory, in the gift of the dean and chap¬ 
ter of Weftminfter. It is a hundred and thirty feet in' 
length, fixty-five in breadth, and forty-five in height ; 
the altitude of the tower, to the top of the pinnacles, is* 
eighty-five feet. 
Mentioning, at p. 527, the chimes of St. Clement’s 
Danes and of Cripplegate-church, we palled cur opinion" 
upon this fort of amufement, and proved that it is of 
no ufe to us either by night or by day.—We have now to 
mention the chimes of this church, which furnilh one of' 
the molt melancholy and difmal tunes that could poflibly 
be chofen. It is not the tune of a hymn or of a pfalin ; but 
the fickeningly-drawling air of.“ At the liege of Bellifle, 
I was there all the while.” The bells acquit themfelves of 
their duty every hour in the day-time; and the learnedly- 
pinned barrel goes on uninterruptedly from the firft note 
to the lalt; but, during the night, by the order, we fup- 
pofe, of fome high churchman fieeping in the neighbour¬ 
hood, the tune is not played through at once, but in por- . 
tions. At twelve o’clock, the two firft bars, “At the liege 
of Bellifle,” are rung, and the confcious barrel politely 
flops, till the prebendary goes to fleep : at one, the barrel 
is again fet in motion, and the reverend gentleman awakes, 
perhaps, to hear the two next bars, “ I was there all the 
while ;” and then quietly refumes the comfortable tenor 
of his nap. At two, follows the next line of the fong ; 
and fo on till the morning, when the barrel, once more fet 
at full liberty, flourilhes off with the whole of the air. 
To the ealt of this church, and extending to the Thames, 
is the lite of the original royal palace of Weftminfter, 
founded by Edward the Confeffor, the firft prince who 
had a regular refidence here. The flairs from it to the 
river ftill retain the name of Palace-ftairs; and the two 
Palace-yards, the one before Weftminfter Hall, the other 
before the Houfe of Lords, we re parts of the body of this 
extenfive palace, of which many fcattered limbs ftill exift, 
but are converted to different ufes. The principal of 
thefe remains is the great Hall, built, or pofiibly rebuilr, 
by William Rufus, as fuch a place was at thofe chivalrous 
times reckoned an indifpenfable appendage to a palace.— 
The entrance into it from New Palace-yard is very mag¬ 
nificent, and has lately been difencumbered from modern 
buildings, which had been barbaroufly erefled in fuch a 
way ns to fereen entirely the beautiful rows of niches^ 
canopies, and ftatues, which ornamented the towers of 
each fide of the entrance, feven or eight of which ftill 
remain in amoft venerable, though mutilated, ftate. The 
figures were bigger than the common proportions of na¬ 
ture; and the few parts that have been refpefled or 
overlooked by the edacity of time, are fufficient to give 
us an idea of the original grandeur of the whole. The 
pedeftals were beautifully wrought with wreaths of le¬ 
guminous plants, or vine and ivy-leaves, (fee p. 403, 4.) 
and had each a fttield of the Norman or heater fhape ; 
but few have preferved the devices which they bore. 
Above the low-er row of ftatues was a window on each 
fide, and each accompanied by a niche, canopy, pedef- 
tal, and ftatue, alfo; but nothing of thefe now remains 
except the prominency of the mouldings out of the wall. 
The gateway is very rich, and the cornice above moft 
curioufiy decorated. The grand centre window is divided 
into three compartments, of three ftages each, and has a 
nobleappearance. At the topof thepediment,or gable-end, 
is a pinnacle, fo disfigured that it appears but the Ikeleton 
or ftiade of what it originally was. 
In the reign of Richard II. the old building had become 
fo ruinous, that he ordered it to be pulled down; and the 
prefent hall, which is now known by the name of Weft, 
minfter-hall, was erefied in its Head, and completed in 
the year 1397. It w-as then called the New Palace, to dif* 
tinguilh it from the Old Palace, where the houfes of lords 
and commons meet. This ancient building is of done, the 
front of which is ornamented with two towers, adorned 
with carved work. The hall within is reckoned thelargeft 
room, unfuppoi'ted by pillars, in Europe 5 being two hun- 
3 • rired 
