Peter Parley's Visit to London, During the Coronation of Queen Victoria by AnonYMous
CHAPTER VIII.
PARLEY DESCRIBES THE CORONATION IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
"AS soon as the Queen, the great object of attraction, had passed,Peter Parley and his friend hurried into the Abbey to resume theirplaces. As they entered they encountered the most deafening andenthusiastic plaudits, to which the announcement of her Majesty'sarrival within the Abbey gave rise.
"While her Majesty was undergoing the ceremony of robing, in themagnificent room which Peter Parley has already told you about, theprocession, which forms part of the ceremony within the Abbey, wasarranged in order.
"Every thing having been prepared, her Majesty made her appearancehabited in a rich mantle and train of crimson velvet, over a dressof satin wrought with gold, and the assembled thousands of her loyalsubjects rose with one accord, and welcomed their Sovereign in a mannerwhich must have thrilled the heart of the greatest potentate who everswayed a sceptre. The band of instrumental music swelled forth theirrichest notes, and the choir gave magnificent effect to the anthem:--
"'I was glad when they said unto me we will go into the house of theLord. For there is the Seat of Judgment, even the Seat of the Houseof David. O pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper thatlove Thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as itwas in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.Amen.'
"As the procession moved slowly up the Abbey, the effect was mostmagnificent; the splendour of the pageantry, the beauty of the youngQueen, whose mild blue eyes shone scarcely less brightly than thecirclet of diamonds which encompassed her beauteous brow, and therich effect of the music, as it reverberated among the aisles of thebuilding, almost made Peter Parley think it was a scene in fairy-land,or one of those bright and unsubstantial visions which flit across themind in our dreams.
"The Queen having advanced to a chair which had been provided for her,about midway between the throne and the south side of the altar, thenoblemen and others who composed the procession took up the stationswhich had been appropriated for them; the choir in the mean timecontinuing to chaunt the anthem.
"The cadences of the anthem had scarcely died away among the aislesof the Abbey, when Peter Parley was startled at the sound of youthfulvoices, singing at their highest pitch. He directed his eyes towardsthe spot whence the sound proceeded, and found it was the Westminsterscholars, who, according to an ancient and established custom, greetedtheir sovereign with a kind of chaunt, 'Vivat Victoria Regina!'
"At the conclusion of this chaunt, which, though not the mostharmonious, struck Peter Parley as certainly not the least interestingpart of the greeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the LordChancellor, the Lord Great Chamberlain, and the Earl Marshal, advancedand commenced the ceremony of the Coronation by what is called theRecognition; that is, advancing towards each side of the theatre insuccession, they thus addressed the assembled spectators:--
"'Sirs, we here present unto you Queen Victoria, the undoubted Queen ofthis realm; wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage,are you willing to do the same?'
"As the question was repeated on each side, the Abbey rang with thejoyful response 'God save Queen Victoria!' A flourish of trumpets addedto the enthusiasm of the scene; and even Peter Parley, carried awayby the feeling of the moment, shouted forth his acclamations, in asheartfelt a manner as the most devoted of her Majesty's subjects.
"During this part of the ceremony, the Queen remained standing by thechair on which she had at first taken her seat, and turned her facesuccessively toward that part of the Abbey to which the question wasaddressed.
"When the enthusiastic cheering subsided her Majesty resumed her seat,and preparations were made for that part of the altar service calledthe Oblation. The Bible, the chalice, and patina, were placed upon thealtar, before which, two officers of the wardrobe spread a rich clothof gold, and laid upon it a cushion for her Majesty to kneel upon. TheBishops who were to be engaged in the service also advanced and put ontheir copes.
"Every thing being ready, her Majesty, supported by two bishops andpreceded by the great officers of state bearing the regalia, approachedthe altar, and kneeling upon the cushion, made the various offerings.
"The first, which consisted of a pall or altar-cloth of gold, wasdelivered by an officer of the wardrobe to the Lord Chamberlain, andby him handed to the Lord Great Chamberlain, who delivered it to theQueen. Her Majesty then gave it to the Archbishop of Canterbury, bywhom it was placed on the altar.
"An ingot of gold, a pound in weight, was then handed by the Treasurerof the Household to the Lord Great Chamberlain, by whom it was placedin the hands of the Queen, who delivered it to the Archbishop, by whomit was put into the oblation basin, and set upon the altar.
"The Archbishop then said the following prayer, the Queen remainingkneeling before the altar:--
"'O God, who dwellest in the high and holy place, with them alsowho are of an humble spirit, look down mercifully upon this thyservant Victoria our Queen, here humbling herself before Thee at thyfootstool, and graciously receive these oblations, which, in humbleacknowledgment of thy sovereignty over all, and of thy great bountyunto her in particular, she hath now offered up unto Thee, throughJESUS CHRIST, our only mediator and advocate. Amen.'
"At the conclusion of this prayer her Majesty returned to the chair onthe south side of the altar, and the whole of the regalia, except theswords, were delivered to the archbishop and placed on the altar.
"The Litany was then read by the Bishops of Worcester and St. David's,which was followed by the Communion Service, previous to which, thechoir sang the _Sanctus_:--
"'Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of thy Glory; Glory be to Thee, O Lord, most High. Amen.'
"At the conclusion of the service the Bishop of London ascended thepulpit, which had been placed opposite her Majesty's chair of state,and preached the sermon. His lordship's text was chosen from 2 Chron.xxxiv. 31,--'And the King stood in his place and made a covenant beforethe Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and histestimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all hissoul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in thisbook.'
"At the conclusion of the sermon, to which the Queen was deeplyattentive, the Archbishop of Canterbury advanced toward her Majesty,and standing before her, thus addressed her:--
"'Madam, is your Majesty willing to take the oath?'
"The Queen answered, 'I am willing.'
"The Archbishop then ministered these questions; and the Queen answeredeach question severally, as follows:--
"_Archbishop._--Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern thepeople of this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and thedominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes in Parliamentagreed on, and the respective laws and customs of the same?
"_Queen._--I solemnly promise so to do.
"_Archbishop._--Will you to the utmost of your power cause law andjustice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?
"_Queen._--I will.
"_Archbishop._--Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the lawsof God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant reformedreligion established by law? And will you maintain and preserveinviolably the settlement of the United Church of England and Ireland,and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, asby law established within England and Ireland, and the territoriesthereunto belonging? And will you preserve unto the bishops and clergyof England and Ireland, and to the churches there committed to theircharge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertainto them, or any of them?
"_Queen._--All this I promise to do.
"The Queen then proceeded to the altar, attended by the variousfunctionaries, who had taken up their stations about her, and kneelingbefore it, laid her right hand on the great Bible, and, in the sight ofher people, took a solemn oath, to observe the promises w
"'The things which I have here before promised, I will perform andkeep--So help me, God.'
"Her Majesty then kissed the book and set her royal sign manual to acopy of the oath. After this solemn ceremony she returned to the chair,and kneeling at her fald-stool, the choir sang, with the most touchingeffect, the magnificent hymn--
"'Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, And warm them with thy Heav'nly fire; Thou who th' Anointing Spirit art, To us thy sevenfold gifts impart; Let thy bless'd unction from above Be to us comfort, life, and love; Enable with celestial light The weakness of our mortal sight: Anoint our hearts, and cheer our face, With the abundance of thy grace. Keep far our foes, give peace at home-- Where Thou dost dwell no ill can come. Teach us to know the Father, Son, And Spirit of both, to be but one, That so through ages all along, This may be our triumphant song; In Thee, O Lord, we make our boast, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.'"