The Marshall republican., 1906-03-09
SOME OPENED TONES.

Christian worid-Shakespeare, Dante
and Milton-the first alone has escaped
disinterment. All temptation to look
ono more on his remains has been
by the anathema on his tomb
stone:
"Goodfrende, for Jesus sake. forbeare.
To digg the dust encloased here;
Blest be ye a that spares these
Dante was buried at San Francisco.
In Ravenna. A cardinal Of Pope John
xxi. ordered Dante's bones burned
and later a mausoleum was built for
them, but the suspicion arose that the
body was not there ard in repairing al
old chapel in the original church OF
San Francisco a wooden box was found
containing a skeleton corresponding
TO Dante's height and stature, with an
inscription by a monk stating he had
removed the body there in 1877 for
safekeeping.
Milton did not esclpe. He was
buried and In 100 years the spot was
forgotten; search was afterward mads
and the grave found. but the church
forbore to disturb the sacred ashes.
However, a publican, a pawnbroker. n
surgeon and a cofinmaker got In the
church. pried open the leaden CONN.
stole some OF the teeth. ribs and hair
and acted like Doors generally.
The rel!c-huntlng superstition which
swept over the church like a food In
the fourth century was responsible for
the dissertation OF many graves. Kings
have suffered most. Henry ~. OF
England. TO prove IN the people that
Richard II. was really dead and had
been murdered. had the body dug
up and carried. face exposed. 10 Lang
ley. In the days OF Henry v. the re-
mains were again disinterred and EAR
rled 10 the royal tomb in westmln-
ster. where the unhappy monarch now
lies beside his wife. Anne OF Bohemia.
BY accident the tomb was opened in
the last century and the bones and
skull examined. n the rumor that
Richard was murdered by n blow on
the skull be true the skeleton was not
his. for the skull was In perfect con-
ditlon.
Henry ". was buried In 1919 by his
own direction in Canterbury cathe-
dral and the tomb was opened in 1922
70 set at rest a historic doubt. when
the CONN was opened nearly four 9 n
turtles after II had been closed. for n
few seconds before the air caused the
face TO collapse the few who were pres
ent saw the face OF the "cankered Boil
ingbroke' rs he looked when he died.
In the scene which Shakespeare has so
p%athetically described. The face was
perfectly preserved.
His warrior son. Aglncourt's hero.
rests M peace In the stately tomb pre-
pared for him by his wife. Katherine
OF Valols. who was said 20 have been
on her arrival In England surprising
ly beautiful. Her tomb. however. had
a different history. Either In penance
for her disobedlence to her husband
she having gone 10 Windsor for the
birth OF her son In spite OF the pro-
phecy. which turned out true. that
Henry OF Windsor shall lose what
Harry OF Monmouth von"-or In re-
morse for the mesalllance she made
In wedding afterward n Welsh yeo-
man OF the guard, she ordered that
her cofin should be ''meanly appar-
eled." Her grandson. Henry VII. laid
the coffin beside that OF her royal hus-
band when he assembled the throne.
The common conn. however. molder-
ed away and the skull was Visible. row.
cred with it's yellow and parchment
like skin. A century ago the dean or
dered that a new coniI be made and
the body properly housed. The new
conn was thrust Into a vault and not
many years y the vault was opened
and Dean Stanley. linking Il would
be a good time "a see II the body was
In good condition. had the CONN
brought out. II crumbled 10 pieces and
the body-for the skeleton still had
some flesh and tendons on twas
seen. The enfolding m had
crumbled 10 dust and nothing re-
mained but some fragments OF cere-
cloth and the silk cushion on which
the head had rested. A solid oak cof-
I'M was made. the body ire osed and
reverently inferred near that Of her
royal husband.