New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-10-04
vel. HsE. 40. s52.


all sides were painted windows, lofty columns
carved roofs mosaic pavements and marble mon
uments. from which the efigles seemed haii
risen.
The windows are of the most brilliant stained
glass, all composed of very small pieces OF IRE
oular shapes, as if thousand times broken and
then put together like mosaic, producing more
than the effect of the finest paintings. In them
are represented many of the stories from sacred
history: the Creation, Paradise, Babel, the find
ing Of Moses, Samson carrying off the gates Of
GAIA, David killing Goliah, &C., and the figures
are nearly hall the size of life, though dimin-
ishcd to miniature by the great hight Of the win
dows The sun, shining through them, paints
all this again upon the marble pavement.
The monuments alone are matter for a book
Some of them are large enough for chapels
though mere specks within this vast Cathedral
Many of them are of the old bishops, common
cling thousand years ago, and their corroded
images still wear the mitre, Among the later
ones is that OF Archbishop Stcrne, ancestor OF
the Sterne. A curious one, erected to prlvy
councillor Of James l., displays under the bust Of
the knight, those OF his two wives; and under
each of these are carved their respective offspring
at full length one having three children OF regu
larry diminishing stature. and the other two
Hours may be very Interestingly spent among
the tombs.
Many other buildings project from the man
i oI,o oof,>
ry interest. The finest Of these Is the Chapter
House, sixty-scven feet across and as many high
without single pillar to break It's wide area. OF
its eight sides, seven have richly stained win
dows, and on the eighth. which joins the MIN
ster, once stood thirteen images OF soild sl-
yer, double gilt, representing the twelve Apes
ties and the Virgin and child Forty-iour stalls
for the Canons have each columns and canopes
and on them are grotesque carvings IN rldlcule Of
the secular iriars There are faces of men and
beasts laughing, crying, grinnihg and frownng
while on one side friar is shoeing goose, in
another kissing a nun, and so on. These do not.
however. at all interfere with the general beau
tv of the Chapter House, which is happily eulo-
gized in quaint menkish rhyme, which copied
from one OF the columns:
's Ut Rosa Flos Forum,
Sic Domus ista Domorum."
Camden Englishes it imperfectly by
Like as the Rose of Flowers is best,
So this the House Of Houses is contest
It's unfortunate that the Minister is SO closely
surrounded by buildings that ii is impossible to
oct any single comprehensive view. Some of
Nod b,,f no fIop
too many yet remain, and it's approached only
by narrow winding streets.
The ancient city OF York has little to boast of
except It's walls and Minster-and this indeed IS
enough for q dozen cities. The houses are o.d
and decaying, and in some Of them each story
projects yard over the lower one; peculiarly
useful both for shade and for defence. Her
streets are narrow and crooked, like our old Car
den. Stone and Beaver streets; but, most unlike
them, they are kept very clean The round paw
ing stones abandoned in all modern English
cities) assist, however, in increasing the resem-
blance
The walls are entered through various gates,
manned Shelter, Tubber, Mckle, Spurrier, &C.
which are now sometimes nearly i'll the centre OF
the city. One of them, Monks gate," is
guarded by high towers Finding winding
| stone staircase in corner Of one of these as
cended its ruinous steps with some difficulty,
pausing on the way to look out of the loopholes
through which had sped so many flights of ar
rows. When half way up, passed through
sculptured arch, and to nv establishment found
myself tete-a-tate not with grim warrior aroused
from the dead by my intrusion, but with wo-
man washing clothes, who, equally surprised, in
CURED, What's your will, sir?" After this
adventure, babe adieu to the romance of the
olden time and to York. W. NJ @.