The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1911. THE CORONATION

New Zealand Tablet, 22 June 1911, Page 1153

The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1911. THE CORONATION

~®» HE British throne stands no longer on the a p| post-Reformation belief in the divinity that Is * * doth hedge a king.’ The splendid ceremonies S£ doth are taking place at ceremonies that are taking place at Westminster Abbey J this week, and the popular enthusiasm with Aa'oSlT' which they are surrounded, furnish a striking illustration of the truth of Tennyson's saying V ' that the throne of Great Britain, is broader based upon the people’s will; firmly planted upon a ground-work of. personal worth in the Ruler, on the popular weal, and on the innate respect of the people for constituted authority in the State. • -» ■: A V ./J, . i: From the days of Good King Edward lII.’, of sainted ■memory, to those of the late Queen Victoria, few British Sovereigns reached the hearts of the people over whom they held immediate rule. They' were, to a far greater

extent than at present, hedged off from vulgar approach by an almost 'impenetrable barrier of court usages and court etiquette; they seldom ‘showed themselves to the people’ in familiar guise as in the-present day; and the principle of personal rule to which they adhered was not on all occasions conducive to that deep-rooted popular respect and veneration which constitute the best safeguards of a throne. The first. Charles defined the relations between a king and his subjects in the following-terms: The people’s liberties strengthen the king’s prerogative, and the king’s prerogative is to defend the people’s liberties.’ William IV. —as .Justin McCarthy points out in his History of Our Own Times —‘held to, and exercised the. right to dismiss Ministers when he pleased, and because he pleased.’ With his death the long era - of personal rule closed for ever in England. The late Queen Victoria-was the first actual British constitutional Sovereign. At a - somewhat critical period in the history of European monarchies she popularised British Royalty by her personal virtues and her prudent regard for the limitations of her office; and during her long day—which saw the fall of many a royal house—her throne was buttressed round about with popular reverence and affection. The mantle of the late Queen’s popularity covered all her house—and the events of the piesent monarch s brief reign, and especially those surrounding his coronation, go to show that this popularity is neither on the wane nor likely to diminish. King George deserves the goodwill of the Irish people for the liberality of his personal views on, questions affecting their national well-being, and of Catholics for the marked respect which ho has ever shown towards their religious practices and beliefs. It is well known that the King’s personal influence was a very large factor in bringing about . the abolition of that ‘ relic of barbarism ’—the hideous Coronation oath. .' Who does the best his circumstance "allows, Does well, acts nobly. ' - * v . A story is told to the effect that a - noted provincial beauty was once introduced to King George IV. who politely hoped that she had been * entertained with . the gaieties of London.’ ‘ Oh, yes, please your .Majesty/ - said the pretty Malaprop, ‘ I have seen every sight in London worth seeing except a coronation.’ This happily rare.spectacleun later British history, is again being exhibited to the British public,, and upon a scale ,of magnificence which puts into the shade the .comparatively quiet celebrations that surrounded the coronation of Queen Victoria and William IV., and recalls the splendor that marked the crowning of the I ourth George. At the striking pageantry of today the King sits in the curious old coronation chair that is still preserved in Westminster Abbey. Beneath its wooden seat lies a roughly shaped , block of stone, which is supposed to be identical with the Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, which, according to ancient tradition, was brought to Ireland by the Tuath-De-Danaans, and upon which the Ard-Righs or High-Kings of Erin were inaugurated in subsequent times at Tara. In the early years of the sixth century the final settlement of the Dalnads (Irish) in Scotland took place, Fergus MacErc seized upon the sovereignty of the country, established, a monarchy, and had the Stone of Destiny carried thither in order to give more solemnity to his coronation and to give his dynasty the benefit of the ancient , prophecy, according to which a sovereign of his race should never fail to sit upon the.throne founded upon it. The Lia Fail is said to have been preserved during many centuries in the Monastery of Scone. In the year 1300 it was brought to England by Edward I. and deposited in -Westminster Abbey, and- is believed to be identical with the block of - stone upon which King George V. will be crowned to-day. The prophecy [regarding the Stone of Destiny]’, says Lady Ferguson in her Irish Before the Conquest , has not hitherto tailed in its accomplishment; for Queen Victoria is a true descendant of the-Scotic (Irish Dalriadic) line. Some of our antiquaries, however, maintain that the Lia Fail still remains at Tara, and point to a standing pillar stone on a m mox. (the p Croppies Grave ’) yet remaining as the veritable Stone of Destiny.’ * /’ , _ / : \, /:,/ //://- • *i There A re certain significant ceremonies in connection with the Coronation of King George V. which ought to have a special interest for Catholics. (1) In accordance " ith ancient. Catholic usage, he is clothed with a cope; such as was worn by Charlemagne when he was crowned in Rome, by the Pope eleven hundred years ago, and which is still preserved among the treasurers of St. Peter’s. (2) the apostolic usage of -anointing, the sick with oil was retamed by the Reformers in the Prayer Book of Edward VI It was abolished— the great regret of Bishop Forbes and of many earnest Anglicans of later days—in the Book of Common Prayer of Queen Elizabeth. ,It "is/ however retamed in the Coronation service. This is in accordance k vklv fflt l Ca 1 th I °-' C 1 ’ bl ' t with; Jewish custom as well. Jouish kings and high-priests were anointed with oil. They were probably crowned as well. The ceremony of

anointing kings with holy oil was practically universal in Europe in the old Catholic days. In the days before the Conquest English kings were solemnly inducted into authority at Bath, Winchester, Kingston-upon-Thames, and Westminster. The chroniclers invariably mention the , ‘ hallowing ’ or ‘anointing’ of English kings of that period. They rarely specify the act of coronation or crowning. But crowning is mentioned in the case of William I. and other kings of the Norman line; and the Mass and the anointing, and the other religious ceremonies that marked the solemn inauguration of the reign of Richard 1., are they not recorded by the chroniclers of the time with a glowing wealth of gilded detail.

(3) One other curious old Catholic ceremony is still retained at the coronation of British Sovereigns. On the third finger of the King’s right hand is placed a ring of plain gold, adorned with a large ruby, on which is engraved the Cross of St. George. This ceremony is accompanied by the following significant words: The Archbishop of Canterbury, placing the ring upon the royal finger, says: ‘Receive this ring, the ensign of kingly dignity and of defence of the Catholic faith, that as you are this day consecrated head of the kingdom and people, so rich in faith, and abounding in good .works, you may reign with Him Who is King of Kings, to Whom be glory and honor for ever''and ever. Amen.’ (4) The Queen, as a sacred person is also clothed with imitations of old Catholic vestments—to wit, the colobivm sindonis, which corresponds to the alb of our priests a stole, worn deaconwise over the right shoulder; a dalmatic of cloth-of-gold; and a pallium regale, somewhat resembling the chasuble worn at Mass.

The coronation of a sovereign, according to the ancient Catholic use, is full of religious significance. It is briefly summed up as follows by a writer on liturgical subjects • The ceremony, as given in the pontifical, chiefly consists (1) in the admonition which the bishop (usually a metropolitan) gives on the duties of the royal dignity, and the promise on the part of the sovereign-elect to fulfil them; (2) the Litany of the Saints is sung while the sovereign-elect lies prostrate before the altar; (3) the bishop anoints the king with oil of catechumens on the right arm and between the shoulders; (4) the bishop, after Mass has begun, presents him with the sword, places the crown on this head and the sceptre in his hand, and enthrones him. Finally, the new king makes the bishop an offering of gold at the offertory, and afterwards receives Communion, the bishop giving him wine (not the Precious Blood) from the chalice.’ * At present the coronation of an English sovereign is almost entirely a civil function. It is a singular circumstance that the Catholic Duke of Norfolk, as Hereditary Earl-Marshal, has control over all the arrangements and public ceremonies in connection with this Coronation. Outside of 'children’s story-books it is not given to any king to feel How sweet' a thing it is to wear a crown Within whose circuit is Elysium, And all that poets feign of bliss and joy. But we trust that the -crowned King will have in his day as great a measure of happiness as is ever likely to fall to the lot of royalty—above all, we hope that his reign will be marked by peace, prosperity, wise and equal laws for every part of the British Isles and the Empire at large, and that it may witness the redressing of old wrongs and the free and useful play of representative institutions and of every thing that makes for true and solid progress.