Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-04-03
YORK MINISTER.

their amusement and instruction, we copy, 'his
morning, the following brief account OF il from
S,LL1MAN's Travels in Europe: ~
The mex, o5iec, Of curiosity which visited,
was the celebrated Cathedral Church OF York
With this | was extremely gratihed.
1t is more than 500 feet long, and when the
snec,a,or stands al one end Of the main aisle,
and looks down to the other, the effect OF per-
spec,ive in reducing all its dimensions Is very
striking.
And now, what shall say Of this cathedral,
| the pride Of antiquity, and the wonder oil mo-
dern ages!
To inform you that il is vast, grand, and
beautiful, is only to convey general impressions;
and TO describe aises, veslri.s, chapter houses,
and chors, is to be tedious without presenting
any very dis,inc, images, or conveying any very
| satisfactory information.
Nor is it easy 10 give one who has never seen
a Gothic structure an Ineligible idea OF this
| kisd of buildings;-in America we not only
have no Gothic edi6ces, blu, we have nothing
resembling them. From prints and paintings,
however, some aid may be derived, and, as there
are very good prints of York Cathedral, must
refer you 10 them.
The windows of this church are Of amazing
magnitude and indescribable beauty
The largest is more than 70 fee, high. and Is
probably the most magnificent window in the
world; it is splendidly painted with so many
historical scenes from the scriptures, that IL
may be considered as almost hierogyPhlca!
representation of them: this window is at the
eastern end Of the Cathedral, and nothing OF The
kind Can exceed it III beauty and richness OK CO.
loring.
All the windows are superbIy painted, and
rnc Hmm HrAd nf 10 ~
exposed to the action Of the light, they remain
uniaded and possess degree Of distinctness
and brilliancy, which defy modern limitations;
! for. the colors which modern artists lay upon
glass, do not endure the action Of the light, but
| lose their beauty.
| There is window in one of the public rooms
| a, Cambridge, which is considered as fine
specimen Of modern panied glass; the painting
cost 500 pounds; but, in point OF brliancy, 1t IS
| already very much injured, although i, was,
believe, executed in the presenLreign. There
is curious anachronism in the scene which II
represents.
His majesty George III. is sitting on athrone
beneath a royal canopy, and number oil allie
gorical beings are present; but II was not THIS
mixture OF shadows and substances, OF real be-
| ings and Of creatures Of the Imagination, which
struck me so singularly, as the introduction OF
Sir Isaac Newton and Lord Bacon to the royal
presence-a circumstance which never did, and,
from the nature Of things, never could happen.
| In This cathedral are many monuments OF
mobiles, archbishops, aud other distinguished
,aon- Tn theiyear I7S6. when the pavement of
The church underwear, . repair, they disturbed
the ashes Of several Of the bishops, and found
the rings which had been buried with them;
some Of them had been Inferred 500 years.
They showed me a curious drinking vessel
made from the tooth of an elephant; it is hol-
lowed on, so asto resemble horn, and is call
ed the horn Of UIphus. The following legend
is related concerning it: Ulphus, who was gov
ernor OF the western parts OF Deira, being APP
prehensive that, after his death, his sons would
quarrel about the division Of his estate, forth
with pursued this course to make them equal:
He took this horn, which was his usual drink
| ing cup, and proce. ded without delay 10 York,
where, having filled the horn with wine, he
kneeled before The altar, and bestowed all his
| lands on God and 81. Peter. These lands are
still called dc terra Ulphi." The horn was lost
Or stolen, but was recovered by General Fair
| fax, and returned TO the cathe dral by henry,
Lord Fairfax, his son, Ii had, however, been
stripped Of its ornaments OF gold; but il has
been decorated anew, and Latin inscr plion
placed upon L, commemorative Of the forego>
ing hisloay.
During the civil wars, this cathedral was
plundereG Of the silver images OF saints aud "a
postles which used 10 stand in the inches.
There is multitude of monuments in the
cathedral. Among these, one Of Sir George
Saville is uncommonly beautiful. 1t is a full
length figure Of him, in the attitude of present.
ing petition TO parliament, from the county
Of York, which he represented, praying for
peace with America.
There is also a monument TO archbishop
Sterne, great grandfather Of Yorick, Of senti-
mental memory; and one to lady who died al
thir,y-eisht years age, having been the mo-
,her Of tweniy-tour children.
! After surveying the inside Of the cathedral, I
assembled to the top, where enjoyed minute
view Of the town, and an extensive prospec, Of
the country.
| Messrs. Editors-The following highly in