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The aisle of the north transept was divided also into two chapels by a wall; the four chapels had each a piscina with a credence shelf over.

The chancel has its roof quite perfect, vaulted and groined in stone like that under the tower, but of a plainer character. There are here an ambry, credence, and piscina; and also at the south side, the beautiful monument which has puzzled antiquarians and ecclesiologists. By some it has been supposed to be sedilia, the place of which it occupies. It consists of an arcade of three foliated arches, resting on slender, banded columns of black marble; over these foliations are ogee arches, crocketed, and terminating in finials; over all is a very rich horizontal canopy, projecting considerably from the wall, covered with beautiful tracery both on the front and soffit. In the spandrils of the arches below the canopy, are five shields containing armorial bearings. This monument is placed over a plain stone shelf, apparently a tomb, which has an ancient cross engraved on it, in a style much earlier than the monument above. In front of this shelf, like a step below it, is another oblong plain stone shelf, which may perhaps have served for a sedile, as the other having a cross on it, can scarcely be supposed to have been used by the Monks as a seat, and may have been the tomb of the founder. Dr. Petrie conjectures that the monument over it, was to the memory of the Countess of Desmond, daughter to the Earl of Ormonde, and that this lady who is spoken of in "Annals of the Four Masters," as a bounteous and charitable woman, was the rebuilder of Holy Cross. The armorial bearings seem to favour this supposition, and the style of the monument, that of the 14th century, agreeing with the rebuilt and most beautiful portions of the Abbey, viz. from the chancel arch eastward. The

popular tradition is that the tomb under the monument is that of "the good woman's son:" the story was told me by a poor country woman whom I met in the Church; she was taking a young relative with her round the Abbey, to visit the graves of "her people," before leaving them for ever: she was going to America. Her knowledge surprised me, though in "the land of saints and scholars." She was taking great pains to explain to him some of the symbols sculptured on the capitals of the pillars, corbels, &c. I found her explaining "the pelican in her piety," which was on one of the capitals of the chancel arch. She told me that the good woman's son was a holy man, who went to the holy land," and brought back secretly "a piece of the blessed rood;" that when he approached this Church, the bells rang of their own accord, and then he knew he was to abide there; so he gave the rood to the Abbey, and died. Who the good woman and her son were, she did not know, but "that they were great saints."

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How similar this legend is to that of S. Catherine of Ledbury, which was told me by an old inmate of her hospital, while spending a delightful day visiting the beautiful Church and neighbourhood of Ledbury. It is best known as the subject of one of Wordsworth's son

nets:

"When human touch (as monkish books attest)
Nor was applied nor could be, Ledbury bells
Broke forth in concert,

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And Catherine said, Here I set up my rest.

Warned in a dream, the wanderer long had sought

A home, that by such miracle of sound

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And then a saintly anchoress she dwelt,

Till she exchanged for heaven that happy ground,"

There are several ancient tombstones scattered about the floor of the Church of Holy Cross, broader at the head than at the foot, and sculptured with crosses of various patterns; some of them appear as ancient as the period of the foundation of the Abbey. The most beautiful part of the Church I have not yet mentioned,—the five eastern windows,-one to the chancel, and two at each side of it, to the chapels: the chancel window is much the largest-it has six lights, and the head is filled with a beautiful network of tracery, each intersection forming a sort of lozenge with the angles rounded. The windows of the chapels have beautiful flowing tracery, all different patterns and curious from their foreign character: there is also a very elegant small window to the north of the transept, the tracery of which is nearly flamboyant. All these are quite perfect, and the view seen from under the chancel arch, of chancel and chapels so terminated, is most beautiful. There is a view also outside of the east end, with its five windows, seen from the other side of the river, that in its way I have seen nothing to equal.

On leaving the Church we ascended some steps from the south transept, and reached the dormitory which joins it, and from this another stair ascends to the crofts over the stone roof of chapels, chancel, and central tower. These were evidently apartments of the Monks, which I believe though common in ancient Irish Churches, is not the case in England: there were fireplaces in some of . them, and they were lit by either double or single lancet windows. The tower is square, plain, and rather lofty. We climbed a stair in the wall, and enjoyed the prospect from the top, which this lovely afternoon was shown us to perfection. The rich vale of the Suire and its beautiful mountain boundaries now perfectly clear and bright,

with summer fleecy clouds passing over them, giving them purple shadows, and an ever varying aspect. On the stairs from the dormitory to the crofts is a narrow cell, with a very small window at one side and a shelf at the other; it is about six feet long, and wide enough for a man to lie down in: it was built in the thickness of the wall, and was probably a penitential cell,-it reminded me of one in the Temple Church. There is a small lancet aperture like a window from the croft over the south chapels into the chancel, evidently for the purpose of enabling the occupant to hear the service; it was probably an apartment for a sick or aged Monk. Under the dormitory is a row of small dark rooms, with plain stone roofs forming a pointed arch without groins or ribs : this range of buildings lines one side of the court, the south aisle of the Church another; and opposite the buildings just mentioned is another containing similar cellars, and a large apartment over them forming the third side—the fourth is quite destroyed. These vaulted rooms or cellars have doors opening into the court of different styles; one of them I think is singular and curious, and of a later date than the rest; it is semicircular-headed inclosing an ogee arch; the spandrils between are open; on the mouldings is an ornament like the billet with a sharp edge. All the other Abbey buildings were destroyed. Many fine old trees grow around this venerable ruin, and some inside its walls, these together with the luxuriant growth of ivy, mantling tower and gable, add highly to its beauty, and contribute to render it one of the most picturesque ruins in Ireland. M. H. S.

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50

CONTINENTAL RAMBLES.-LETTER IX.

MY DEAR

Our last excursion, as you may suppose, whetted our appetite for mountain rambles, and we resolved to set out again the beginning of the following week: but that opened with three days' incessant rain,—and such rain as we never see in England; for forty-eight hours it never ceased for one moment. What had been rain in the valleys, had covered the mountains with fresh snow, which makes travelling, for man and horse, rather more troublesome; and, as we were in no particular hurry, our excursion was again postponed. We set off, however, at last, to visit the Gemmi: considered one of the most curious passes in Switzerland.

Our route lay through the valley of the Simmenthal, which runs south from Thun, between the ranges of the Strolshorn and Neisen. By many, this valley is thought to contain the finest scenery in the country: and it is certainly very fine, but we all thought we preferred many others we had seen. We passed through the village of Erlenbach, a very picturesque little one, in the parsonage house of which Latrobe wrote his " Alpenstock," (a book, by the way, which, having read on the spot, we can recommend for its truthfulness to all lovers of Swiss scenery.) All the Swiss pastors are ready to receive strangers into their houses, and no charge is made: indeed, they are not allowed by their Government to do so; but of course, as their incomes are small, remuneration is generally offered and accepted. The pastor of Erlenbach, however, was a rich man, his stipend being £200 per annum. We saw a great many large houses all through this part of the valley, the property of rich proprietaires,

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