children, were lively represented in statues; under which were certain English verses written, mentioned before in this book: Mistake not, Reader, I thee crave, This is an altar, not a grave, And hearts are made the sacrifice, &c. Which two words, altar and sacrifice, 'tis said, did so provoke and kindle the zealots' indignation, that they resolve to make the tomb itself a sacrifice; and with axes, poleaxes, and hammers, destroy and break down all that curious monument, save only two pilasters still remaining, which shew and testify the elegancy of the rest of the work. Thus it happened that the good old knight, who was a constant frequenter of God's publick service three times a-day, outlived his own monument, and lived to see himself carried in effigy on a soldier's back to the publick marketplace, there to be sported withal, a crew of soldiers going before in procession, some with surplices, some with organ-pipes, to make up the solemnity. "When they had thus demolished the chief monuments, at length the very grave-stones and marbles on the floor did not escape their sacrilegious hands: for where there was anything on them of sculptures or inscriptions in brass, these they force and tear off. So that whereas there were many fair pieces of this kind before, as that of Abbot William of Ramsey, whose large marble grave-stone was plated over with brass, and several others the like, there is not any such now in all the church to be seen, though most of the inscriptions that were upon them are preserved in this book. "One thing, indeed, I must needs clear the soldiers of, which Mercurius Rusticus upon misinformation charges them with, viz. that they took away the bell-clappers, and sold them with the brass they plucked off from the tombs. The mistake was this: the neighbourhood being continually disturbed with the soldiers jangling and ringing the bells' anker, as though there had been a scare-fire, (though there was no other but what they themselves had made,) some of the inhabitants by night took away the clappers, and hid them in the roof of the church, on purpose only to free their ears from that confused noise; which gave occasion to such as did not know it, to think the soldiers had stolen them away. "Having thus done their work on the floor below, they are now at leisure to look up to the windows above, which would have entertained any persons else with great delight and satisfaction, but only such zealots as these, whose eyes were so dazzled that they thought they saw popery in every picture and piece of painted glass. "Now the windows of this church were very fair, and had much curiosity of workmanship in them, being adorned and beautified with several historical passages out of Scripture and ecclesiastical story; such were those in the body of the church, in the aisles, in the new building, and elsewhere. "But the cloister windows were most famed of all, for their great art and pleasing variety: one side of the quadrangle containing the history of the Old Testament; another that of the New; a third, the founding and founders of the church; a fourth, all the Kings of England downward, from the first Saxon king. All which, notwithstanding, were most shamefully broken and destroyed. "And amongst other things thus demolished in the windows, there was one thing fame had made very remarkable, and that was the story of the Paschal Pickeril. The thing was this: Our SAVIOUR was represented in two places, in the cloister and in the great western window, sitting at His last Supper with His twelve Apostles; in one place there was a single fish, in the other three fishes in a dish, set before Him. This occasioned that discourse and common talk, I remember I have often heard, of the Paschal Pickeril at Peterborough. "Now, what should be the meaning of this conceit is left to every one to conjecture. The account I have had from some was this that it was the device of some devout and ignorant artist, from a notion he had of the time this last Supper must needs be in, that is, of Lent, and that our SAVIOUR Himself was a strict observer of Lent, and eat no flesh all that season; and therefore he took liberty to substitute a fish instead of the Paschal lamb. "Whatever it was, the matter of fact was certain; and that particular piece of glass, wherein the three fishes are portrayed, happened to be preserved in the great devastation, and was committed to my trust by the author of the foregoing history, from whom I had this relation, and is yet to be seen. "But to proceed. Notwithstanding all the art and curiosity of workmanship these windows did afford, yet nothing of all this could oblige the reforming rabble, but they deface and break them all in pieces, in the church and in the cloister, and left nothing undemolished where either any picture or painted glass did appear, excepting only part of the great west window in the body of the church, which still remains entire, being too high for them and out of their reach. Yea, to encourage them the more in this trade of breaking and battering windows down, Cromwell himself (as it was reported) espying a little crucifix in a window aloft, which none perhaps before had scarce observed, gets a ladder, and breaks it down zealously with his own hand. "But, before I conclude the narrative, I must not forget to tell how they likewise broke open the Chapter-house, ransacked the records, broke the seals, tore the writings in pieces, especially such as had great seals annexed unto them, which they took or mistook rather for the Pope's bulls. So that a grave and sober person coming into the room at that time, finds the floor all strewed and covered over with torn papers, parchments, and broken seals; and, being astonished at this sight, does thus expostulate with them: 'Gentlemen,' says he, what are ye doing?' They answer, We are pulling and tearing the Pope's bulls in pieces.' He replies, Ye are much mistaken: for these writings are neither the Pope's bulls, nor anything relating to him; but they are the evidences of several men's estates, and in destroying these you will destroy and undo many. With this they were something persuaded, and prevailed upon by the same person to permit him to carry away all that were left undefaced; by which means the writings the church hath now came to be preserved. "Such was the soldiers' carriage and behaviour all the time during their stay at Peterborough, which was about a fortnight's space. They went to church duly, but it was only to do mischief, to break and batter the windows and any carved work that was yet remaining, or to pull down crosses wheresoever they could find them; which the first founders did not set up with so much zeal as these last confounders pulled them down. "Thus, in a short time, a fair and goodly structure was quite stripped of all its ornamental beauty, and made a ruthful spectacle, a very chaos of desolation and confusion, nothing scarce remaining but only bare walls, broken seats, and shattered windows on every side."-Gunton's History of the Church of Peterborough, pp. 333 338. Queen Elizabeth's Maundy. [495] 1572.] "First, the hall was prepared with a long table on each side, and forms set by them; on the edges of which tables, and under those forms, were laid carpets and cushions, for her Majesty to kneel when she should wash them. There was also another table set across the upper end of the hall, somewhat above the footpace, for the chaplain to stand at. A little beneath the midst whereof, and beneath the said foot-pace, a stool and cushion of estate was pitched for her Majesty to kneel at during the service time. This done, the holy water, basins, alms, and other things being brought into the hall, and the chaplain and poor folks having taken the said places, the laundress, armed with a fair towel, and taking a silver basin filled with warm water and sweet flowers, washed their feet all after one another, and wiped the same with his towel, and so making a cross a little above the toes kissed them. After him within a little while followed the subalmoner, doing likewise, and after him the almoner himself also. Then lastly, her Majesty came into the hall, and after some singing and prayers made, and the gospel of CHRIST's washing of His disciples' feet read, thirty-nine ladies and gentlewomen (for so many were the poor folks, according to the number of the years complete of her Majesty's age,) addressed themselves with aprons and towels to wait upon her Majesty; and she kneeling down upon the cushions and carpets under the feet of the poor women, first washed one foot of every one of them in so many several basins of warm water and sweet flowers, brought to her severally by the said ladies and gentlewomen, then wiped, crossed, and kissed them, as the almoner and others had done before. When her Majesty had thus gone through the whole number of thirty-nine, (of which twenty sat on the one side of the hall, and nineteen on the other,) she resorted to the first again, and gave to each one certain yards of broadcloth, to make a gown, so passing to them all. Thirdly, she began at the first, and gave to.each of them a pair of shoes. Fourthly, to each of them a wooden platter, wherein was half a side of salmon, as much ling, six red herrings, and cheat [manchet] loaves of bread. Fifthly, she began with the first again, and gave to each of them a white wooden dish with claret wine. Sixthly, she received of each waiting lady and gentlewoman their towel and apron, and gave to each poor woman one of the same; and after this the ladies and gentlewomen waited no longer, nor served as they had done throughout the courses before. But then the treasurer of the chamber (Mr. Hennage) came to her Majesty with thirty-nine small white purses, wherein were also thirty-nine pence, (as they say,) after the number of years to her Majesty's said age, and of him she received and distributed them severally. Which done, she received of him so many leather purses also, cach containing twenty shillings, for the redemption of her Majesty's gown, which (as men say) by ancient order she ought to give some of them at her pleasure: but she, to avoid the trouble of suit, which aecustomably was made for that preferment, had changed that reward into money, to be equally divided amongst them all, namely, twenty shillings a-piece, and she also delivered particularly to the whole company. And so taking her ease upon the cushion of estate, and hearing the choir a little while, her Majesty withdrew herself, and the company departed: for it was by that time the sun was setting."-No. 6183, Add. MSS. in the British Museum, cited in Hone's Table-Book, vol. 1. pp. 479, 480. Coronation of Charles the Second. [496] 1661.] "Upon Tuesday, the 23rd of April, being S. George'sday, about half an hour after seven in the morning, the King entered into his rich barge, took water from the Privy-stairs at Whitehall, and landed at the Parliament-stairs: from whence he proceeded up to the room behind the Lords' house, called the Prince's lodgings; where, after he had reposed himself for a while, he was arrayed in his royal robes of crimson velvet furred with ermine. By which time the nobility being assembled, robed themselves in the Lords' house and Painted-chamber. The Judges also, with those of the long robe, the Knights of the Bath, and gentlemen of the Privymet in the Court of |