Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-03-31
VISITS OF TIE LIVING TO TIE DEAD.

In 1854 the collins containing the bodies
of Charles V. and his descendants were re-
moved from the vault in front of the high
altar in the church of the Escorial to their
final resting place in the Pantheon. GAS
the body of Charles V. was placed in his
marble sarcophagus," writes Sir W. Stirl.
ing Maxwell (Cloister Life of Charles v,
1853, p. 279), " the coverings were re.
moved to enable Philip ". to come face to
face with his great ancestor. The corpse
was found to be quite entire, and even
some sprigs of sweet thyme, folded in the
winding sheet, retained, said the friars, all
their vernal fragrance after the lapse of
four-score winters"
But once more the resolute countenance
of the victor of Muhlberg was to be seen by a
degenerate successor. Toward the end of
the eighteenth century, Charles Ill, of
Spain, at the request of the author of
"Vathek, ordered the marble sarcopha-
gus which contained the body of the ia
nous Emperor of the West to be removed
from it's niche and the lid to be raised.
The features, so well known from the por.
traits by Titan, were still unchanged, and
the wild thyme, gathered in the Vera of
Plasencia by the Jeromite friars, more than
two centuries before, was fresh and sweet.
In 1913, while passage was being con-
structed under the choir of st. Georges
Chapel, Windsor, an aperture was acct
dentally made in one of the walls of
Henry VIII S vault. Three collins were
seen, and it wss supposed that one of them
might hold the remains of Charles /. The
vault was examined in the presence of
George ". and other distinguished per-
sons, among whom was Sir Henry Halford,
and TO the work published by him Can
Account of the Opening Of the Coffin OF
Charles L, 4to., 1879 | am indebted for
the details of the interesting incident. On
opening the coffin supposed to contain the
remains of the unfortunate monarch, the
body was found wrapped in cere-cloth, and
the damp folds about the face adhered SO
closely that on being detached it wss found
to retain an impress of the royal counte.
anee-a circumstance which to ardent 10y.
slists would doubtless recall the legend OF
St. Veronica. The head was found TO be
! separated from the body, and the black
hair Of the head was cut short at the neck,
to facilitate the headman's task. But no
circumstantial evidence was required to
proye that the remains of Charles |. had
at last been found. The long oval face and
the brown pointed beard, which the pencil
of Vandyck has rendered SO familiar to us,
were at once recognized. When the face
was first seen the left eye was full and
open, but it vanished almost immediately
on exposure to the air. After short time,
when the identity of the remains was
placed beyond doubt, the coffin was
closed and the vault was fastened mp.
Ooe more interview with the dead must
be told, though in this case the body had
not been embalmed. Some years ago the
family vault Of the Stanhope family was,
for some necessary reason, opened, and the
! lid of the coffin which contained the body
of the famous Earl, the author OF she
+" Letters, was by accident removed. Ine
skeleton was reclining on a white satin
coverlet, and the crsnium propped up on
cushion of the same material with courtly
air of repose which was very remarkable
and which made great impression on those
who were present. was not an eye wit
ness of the event, but relate the occurrence
as it was told me. It msy be mentioned
incidentally that the lase Earl was not orig
inslly buried in the family vault, but IN tht
| church at Bretby.