WESTMINSTER ABBEY OF OLD.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 141, 14 January 1876, Page 16

WESTMINSTER ABBEY OF OLD.

+-* The following account of Westminster Abbey in the dayscf Eichard 111. will be found of interest to Catholics — for that magnificent structure was formerly one of the chief ornaments of the Catholic Church in England. It is now strangely desecrated, not only by Protestant worship, but also by infidel preaching, since Dean Stanley has permitted persons to preach there, who do not even believe in the divinity of our Saviour. We abridge from Miss Strickland's life of Queen Elizabeth Woodville : When this unhappy woman took sanctuary in the stately abbey, the apartments of the Abbot of Westminster were given her nearly in the same state as they are at present. The noble hall now used as a dining room for the students of Westminister school was, doubtless, the place where Elizabeth seated herself " alow on the rushes, all desolate and dismayed." Still may be seen the circular hearth in the midst of the hall and remains of a louvre in the roof, at which such portions of smoke as chose to leave the room departed. At the end of the hall is oak panneling, latticed at top, with doors leading by winding stone stairs to the most curious nest of little rooms that the eye of antiquary ever looked upon. These were and still are, the private apartments of one of the dignitaries of the abbey, where all offices of butlery, kitchen and laundry are performed under many a quaint gothic arch, in some places rich even now with antique corbel and foliage. This range, so interesting as a specimen of the domestic usages of the middle ages terminates in the abbot's own private sitting room, which looks down on his quiet flower-garden. Nor must the passage be forgotten leading from his room to the corridor furnished with lattices, still remaining, where the abbot might, unseen, be witness of the conduct of his monks in the great hall below. Communicating with them are the state apartments of the abbey, larger in dimensions and more costly in ornament, richly decked with painted glass and fluted oak pannelluv. Amongst them may be especially noticed one called the organ-room, likewise the anti-chamber to the great Jerusalem Chamber, A\hich last was the abbot's state reception and retains to this day the gothic window of painted glass of exquisite workmanship, the curious tapestry and original oil portrait of Eichard 11. The magnificent fire place is the same before which King Henry expired. Sir Thomas More gives us an admirable description of the awful scene which took place in this room when the children of Elizabeth Woodville were torn from her to 1c1 >c put to death by their infamous uncle Eichard 111. She tore her hair and filled the abbey with her screams and groans. "Farewell," she said, "my own sweet sons. Let me kiss you once ere you go, for God knoweth when we shall kiss together again ! " Her hair, which was very fail-, streamed around her and her eyes were red with weeping. '• She cried upon our Lady to help her in her sow distress." Her sons were smothered in the Tower as our readers will remember, and the miserable queen never beheld them again.

Cases of arsenical poisoning occasioned by living in rooms the •walls of which weie covered with paper coloured green by arscnite of copper have frequently been recorded. Lately, a case of arsenical poisoning has come under my notice, writes Professor Cameron, caused by inhaling the dust from paper not coloured green. The family of a gentleman, Mr. Jones, residing in New Eoss, suffered so severely from symptoms usnally produced by arsenic that he was induced to get the wall paper examined. Out of seven kinds of paper six were found to contain arsenic: — No. 1, an olive-f-reen paper, with deep green flowers and gold lines, contained an immense amount of arsenic in the t\\ o green colours and the gold. No. 2, a faint lavender-^ atered paper, contained arsenic in large amount. No. 3, a -white paper with grey flower, contained a very large amount of arsenic. No. 1, a paper with red and green flowers on a grey ground, v.is highly arsenical. No. 5, a dark olive-coloured paper, with gilding, did not contain much arsenic. No. G, a pale green and white paper, also contained only a small amount of arsenic — much less than was put on the lavender paper. Mr. Jones family had not suffered from symptoms of arsenical poisoning until shortly after the house was papered with the above, and the symptoms disappeared shortly after they left the house preparatory to the removal of the paper.— ' Medical Press and Circular.'