Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-02-14
THE OTHER EDWARDS
SIX ENGLISH KINGS BORE SAME
NAME AS NEW MONARCH.
FIVE BURIED I'M THE ABBEY
Only One WeakIing Among Those Who
Have Ruled the AngIo-Saxons
Their Observation-Disclosures not
UnIucl<y in Its Former Edwards
Old Time Ceremonies.

/ Ii westminster dpDeS, that llIue-
honored pile of magnifcence," lie
four of the six Edwards who have
ruled England, and here they have
| been crowned. On coronation day,
while the splendid assembly awaits
! the coming Of the sovereign, the boom
ing of cannon or the shout of the pop
ulace tells Of his approach; then the
period Of waiting is continued while
he makes necessary additions to his
apparel. 1t is an old custom that the
ermine robe should be donned in the
! Jerusalem chamber, which is one of
the most interesting apartments in
! that historic structure.
! Henry ", who must have felt the
need Of prayer, for he knew he had no
right to wear the crown, once stopped
to pray before the shrine of st. Edward
the Confessor in Westminster Abbey.
While engaged in his Gevotions he
was seized with what proved to be his
last illness and was carried to the
Jerusalem chamber. 1t had been pre-
dicted that he would die in Jerusalem,
and Shakespeare represents him as
asking the name of the room, and
when informed of it he repeats what
had been foretold, adding: In that
Jerusalem shall Harry die" 1t is
characteristic of the English to pre-
serve all the touching and romantic
incidents of their history, and over the
replace are carved the last words of
the king.
When that wise and great king, Ed
ward l., returned from Scotland,
where, though suffering from a painful
wound he had valorously fought and
conquered his enemies under Sir
William Wallace, he brought with him
as token of their submission the
celebrated stone of Scone. This
stone is now under the old coronation
chair in Westminster Abbey. 1t has
been claimed that it was used by
Jacob as pillow and that st. Col
Omba when dying rested her head up
on it. A number Of Scotch sovereigns
have sat upon it to be crowned, but
the old legends of Ireland say that the
people of the Emerald Isle owned this
stone before the English or the Scotch
had ever heard Of it.
Brought From Denmark.
According to this authority, it was
brought from Denmark to Ireland by
those strange folk, the Tautha de
Dannaans, who were necromancers,
enchanters and sorcerers. There was
nothing wonderful .or magical or dia-
bolical these people could not do
from causing their island to shriyel I'D
at the approach of their enemies to
restoring their own soldiers to life as
rapidly as they were slain by their
foes. They enchanted this rock,
which they also used as coronation
stone. When the rightful heir sat up
on it to be crowned it moved and
hoWled and Numbered, presumably
with ecstasy; but if in the veins of the
individual flowed no drop of the royal
blood of Scythia the rock was as quiet
as any ordinary piece of sandstone
One of the fourteen names of Ireland,
install, or Island Of Destiny, was
taken from this piece of rock which
was called stone of destiny, or fatal
stone.
There is an old tale to the effect
that no matter to what land this stone
should be removed in that country
will always reign a monarch of the
Milesian race and to prove this state
ment it is shown that Strongbow, an
Anglo-Norman, married Eva, daughter
of King Dermot of Scotland and from
that couple descends the present royal
house of England.
The first king to be crowned above
the old stone was Edward II. He was
the first English Prince of Wales hav-
ing been given the title because he
was born in a Welsh castle. Few
sovereigns began their reigns under
more suspicious conditions. His
father, Edward l., had conquered all
troublesome enemies and, what is bet
ter had left wise code Of laws be-
hind him. The new king was only 20
years old and he had married "the
most beautiful woman in the world"
Isabella, daughter of Philip lie Bel of
France. But the gods evidently wish
NO " dCoCl Oy tlIl0 h1lS. Il Vi lnG IONG
of the Gascon youth Pierre Galveston
Edward was willing to sacrifice his
honor and the respect and esteem of
the English lords and to risk his
throne favorite which created enemies
who eventually brought about his
ruin.
Of Value After Death.