GUARDING THE REGALA IN EARLY DAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2506, 2 April 1902, Page 66

GUARDING THE REGAL A IN EARLY DAYS.

(Rev. J. H. T. Pehkin-s, M.A., in Good Words.") In the eastern cloister of Westminster Abbey stands a massive and aged door. The thickness of the adjoining walls and its own ponderous iron bands alike indicate its superlative importance. Even today that huge double door with its seven great locks can only be opened in the presence of certain high officials — .-"uccess,ors of Hugolin, the .Confessor's famous Trtasuier, who, if tradition speaks truth, still bleeps within this glooinv chamber. This "Chapel of the I'yx," as it is termed. together with the adjoining crypt beneath the Chapter House, forms" an abiding witness to that universal sentiment which impelled our forefathers to store their most cherished possessions beneath the inviolable protection of the Church's shadow. Where indeed could oui Norman sovereigns have discovered a spot more fully in keeping with their own motives of worldly policy, as well as with the spirit of the age, than in the heart of the Abbey, consecrated by St. Peter himself, watched over with such tender caie by Saxon Edward, and now still further hallowed by the presence of his loved remains? To Westminster then were brought, =o says the great Dean. " the Regalia of the Saxon monarchy, the Black Rot d of 'St. Margaret from Scotland, the Cross of St. Neat from Wales, deposited by Edward I, the sceptre or rod of Mose. 1 -. the Ampulla of Henry IV. the Sword with which King Atheist an cut through the rock at Dunbai, the Sword of Wayland Smith, by which Henry II was knighted, the Sword of Tristan, presented to John by the Emperor, the dagger which wounded Edward I at Acre, and the iron gauntlet worn by John of Fiance when taken prisoner at Poictiers." Our English Rega'ia have, for ovei eight centuries, been st imped with the ConfesMn's mai-k Neither the storms of the Reformation, nor even the profanity oi the Commonwealth, have wholly obliterated the bond existing betwen those Regalia and the Abbey, deal to Edward.-, heart The right of the Abbot and brethren to be guardians of the<-e national insignia w,i* established by their foundation chartet and confirmed by the authority of at least three popes. Twice every year d:d tlu monks delight to exhibit the Coronation robe of their sainted founder. Norman and Plantagenet. Tudor and Stuart alike, must be crowned with King Edward's crown, their consorts with that of Queen Edith. The ring, signifying the lifelong compact between king and people, was the identical jewel restored to Edward by the pilgrims, in proof of the special favour of the Apostle of love The very " laws of the glorious Confessor ' represented to each succeeding monarch the touchstone of his loyalty, the pledge of hi.s owr singleness of heart. At We>tminster, then, wa.« the fiist Treasury of the Royal Wardrobe, and for many a long year did this, great Benedictine house extend its shelter to the«e mcc-t dearly prized possessions of the nation. The daily life of the monastic brethren -oiled on ; few events occurred to intenupt its calm. An occasional coronation, the ravages of the Bid' k Death, the steady growth of the p'fti mils CllUrcll in t-hw hanrla q£ OX&Av

" builder Abbots " like Nicholas Litlington and John Islip, were the only prominent features in their commonplace, unenlightened existence. Once, however, that peaceful inner life was shaken to its veryfoundations. In the mighty crypt of the Chapter House, with its thick, impenetrable walls, there were usually stored not only the relics and the Coronation Regalia, but the Royal plate and personal jewels of the Sovereign, articles of special value and rarity, and at times vast masses of the public moneys also. Hence, in the year 1303 an enormous quantity of specif" had been accumulated in view ot the national emergency occasioned by the Scotch war. Edward Plantagenet was on the march with his grand army through the north. The adjoining palace wa-s Wellnigh deserted. Such an opportunity was too tempting for refusal. That spring the Royal Treasury was broken open and rifled. The thieves possessed sufficient common sense to leave the crowns and sceptres ■severely alone, but the enormous store of valuables — jewels, spoons, dislies, rings, girdles, and cups of gold and silver, amounting, it is alleged, to two millions of monay. were seized. The robbery was conducted throughout on the most scientific principles. A large quantity of hemp seed had been deliberately sown in the Monk's Cemetery, to the east* of the Abbey. Here the treasure was hidden for the momenf, and then carried across the water by Richard de Podelicote, a travelling merchant, aided and abetted, alas ! by Alexander de Pershore, and others of the monastic body. The news reached the King at Linlithgow. and hi* fury blazed forth in a manner truly regal. Down came writ after writ, which Edward's subjects knew better than to disobey. Then followed the formal investigation at the hands of the Lord Mayor and the Master of the Wardrobe. Imagine thi horror of these functionaries when they beheld the floor strewn with broken boxes and scattered jewels, including the Privy Seal and the ring with which Henry 111 v/as consecrated ! Even the great Cross of St. Neot was lying there, despoiled of its jt welled case. In a brief space, therefore, Abbot Wenlock and 48 members of his community found their way to equally historic, though less attractive, quarters in the Tower. Here they experienced the lengthened discipline of a two-years' sojourn. The guilt was at last driven home to Subprior and Sacrist, who together with de Podelicote no doubt received their richly merited reward.