The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-20

ground.
Henry L. of Scotland and Matilda were
here. Coeur de Lion was royalty
received here after his sore captivity.
Henry III. was born in the castle and all
the Edwards held court here. Henry V.
received the French ambassadors here.
and IN Winchester Henry vi. planned
Eaton College after Wykeham's School,
which, still one of the most interesting OF
British colleges, stands here to-day just
as 1t then stood against the southern edge
OF the velvety cathedral close. Here
Mary receivedSPhilip and their unfortu
nate nuptials Were concluded, while the
great structure now standing beside the
castle, and used as the royal barracks,
was built by Charles H., though he never
lived to see it completed, as a sumptuous
residence Tor himself and pretty NelP'
Gwynne.
And so on and on the grim old story
runs. But by and by the dark masses of
Verdure, the square Norman tower and
the ridge OF the mighty nave rising above
the banks of leafy lines and the PENN
sula formed by the vagrant Itchen, COW
cred with sward and flowers, tempts you
down by winding paths from st. Giles
HIIl, and you are soon standing beside
the ancient city cross. 1t was built over
$50 years ago, in the reign OF Henry VI,
just before his murder by Gloster, and
has, besides its fine old grouping Of
saints in the upper inches. the carved fig
ures of William of Wykeham, the famous
founder Of Winchester school, of Florence
de Lunn, Winchester's first Mayor, 7OS
years ago, the martyr St. Lawrence and
King Alfred the Great.
You are now in the center of Winches-
ter in High street, You suddenly recall
the curious fact that in ali bat one Of
these old cathedral towns you have found
a frh 4 J,
1t were nigh or low. High street it had
been ever since there had been an Eng
ilsh tongue. Every place Of interest TO
be seen Is only few moments walk OF
or on this old familiar street. So, in all
other English cathedral towns as here,
beneath the city cross, however craniped
its surroundings, is the ancient ''mercate
square," or market place, and Jagged,
zigzag thoroughtareS lead to the cross
from outlying picturesque spots and
quarters.
All about are half-timbered houses
projecting story over story into the mar
ket place, and you wonder how long be-
fore from sheer age they will tumble, red
roofs first, over into the clean, cool space
below. Quaint shops are pinched in be-
tween Stald old mansions. BandboXeS of
inns speck the gray facades with gilt and
color. Worn steps, scrubbed mercileSsly
and washed with white lead into tiny YES
tibUles gay with cleaning brass knock ers
and rare old cOlored glass.
Just there, to the right, is wynd or
close, grayer, more medley of gables,
overnanging roofs and protruding Win
dOws than the narrow street where you
are standing. 1t is messy old Minister
street. on Saunter into its shadows. At
It's southern end IS an inviting vista of
foliage and light. You will find more
gray heads here than in any other equal
distance in England. Gray old men and
gray old women silently sit musing over
gray old wares i'll their gray old shops.
II is all so starrlingiy suggestive OF age
and decay that you hasten on. Suddenly
one side of the shadowy passageway stops
snort, and there before You IS one of The
sweetest sights in England. 1t is the
great cathedral close, surrounded by ivy
hung fourteenth century houses, its area
threaded and silyered by the vagrant
itchen stream, masses of lines rising
here and there above, and the cathedral
of royal Winchester, showing in patch es
and bits, just mining Of its grand proper
lions, through the riffs of luXuriant lime
tree leaves.
From where you stand storing the
scene in your memory an avenue OF
lines, revealing the famous walk in Trim
ity Gardens, Cambridge, leads diagon-
ally across the close to the cathedraIs
=
To the left across the wide reach of sward
are a few struggling graves. TO the right
fewer still rise white against the green.
The foliage Of the oYerhanging lines is so
dense that you cannot see the sky.
Among the leaves, at this time of the
year, is a wealth OF SWeet-smeliing, vel
low-green flowers. 1t is wonderfully sill
here. Now and again withered bios
som fluttering to the stonewalk, or a
robin or blackbird hopping soberly in
and out among the olden graves almost
startles you.
AS you proceed down the tagged av-
enue the gray breaks through the green.
The north transept is first partially I'M
yelled. Then the wide, low tower the
entire vast west 'front.' the long range of
pinnacled buttresses to the north OF the
nave, and the roofs Of the Bishops palace
and deanery to the south, are gradually
disclosed, and at the right is most an
cient wall penetrated by low arched
entrance which in former times gave
subterranean passage to the royal palace.
Study it all so little or long as you may
your whole being is filled and thrilled by
its majesty, beauty and repose.
Antiquity shrouds the beginning of
Christianity at Winchester The cathe-
dral existed under Vortigern and Uther
PendragOn. In nearly every particular
as you will find it to-day, this cathedral
has stood since $50 or upward of one
thousand years, while the earlier cathe-
dral church on the site of the present
structure was founded and endowed 1858
years ago. Winchester having been royal
Winchester hundreds of years before
London was more than marshy fishing
village, the colossal exterior and royal in
terror as well as the vast number and
splendor of it's royal and
ecclesiastic sepuIchers and monuments
are at once accounted for.
On entering this cathedral and taking a
position under the great west window,
you lind nave, choir and vault simply
majesty study IN mellowed and subdued
gray. The tremendous proportions of
tAe coIumnS-they are twelve feet in di-
ameter, the distance between them. or
the REORGANIZATION, being only about
Two dlameters of the columns-are so
great that there is not break in then. line
on either side, save midway alone tho
southern tier where stands Rishon.
w ykenam's noble chantry and tomb.
through the entire length of nave and
cholr, the greatest of any cathedral in
England. % AZ
The nave columns and vault and the
cholr seem to focus in one far biob
IremuIous MIN OF light in the upper visi,
ole POI LIon Oh the east window above the
marble altar screen. The space is SO vasr
the proportions SO perfect. the old Nor,
man work so splendid in its massive sim
pnclty, even, where modified by transit
ton and early English work. the admis-
SION OF light SO equable, that even the
darh oahen cnoir screen sinks into place
and depth OF color only in lower fiffino
shadow, even serving to strengthen the
effect of the marvellous altar white bathad
in the east windows mellowed rose.
Clearly the distinguishing features of
Winchester Cathedral are structural vast
hess, massiveness, simplicity and repose.
Strongest marked in features of detail are
over ornamentation of the Lady ChaneI
particularly Ia the windows; the bold and
airy-tlying buttresses that stretch over