Walks in London . n the centre (Saxon in point of date) has a cylin-drical shaft, 3 ft. 6 in. in diameter and 3 ft. 4 in. high. The capitalhas a great abacus, 7 in. deep, supported by a primitivemoulding, and carrying plain groining in the square transverse ribs. It 1 The Pyx is the box in which the specimen pieces are kept at the Mint—jnjxis,from pyooos, a box-tree. 266 Walks in London is interesting to see how, during the Norman period, the massive sim-plicity of this, as of other capitals, seems to have tempted the monks toexperiments of rude sculpture, here incomplete. The ancie
Walks in London . n the centre (Saxon in point of date) has a cylin-drical shaft, 3 ft. 6 in. in diameter and 3 ft. 4 in. high. The capitalhas a great abacus, 7 in. deep, supported by a primitivemoulding, and carrying plain groining in the square transverse ribs. It 1 The Pyx is the box in which the specimen pieces are kept at the Mint—jnjxis,from pyooos, a box-tree. 266 Walks in London is interesting to see how, during the Norman period, the massive sim-plicity of this, as of other capitals, seems to have tempted the monks toexperiments of rude sculpture, here incomplete. The ancient stonealtar remains, and is remarkable for the circular sinking in the slab,apparently for the reception of a portable altar-stone. Several heavyiron-bound chests remain—some of them very curious—which wereused in transporting the kings exchequer. The standards of gold andsilver, used every year at the trial of the Pyx for determining thejustness of weight in the gold and silver coins issued from the Mint,. CHAPEL OF THE PYX, WESTMINSTER. have now been removed thither. There is nothing to remind onethat— Hither were brought the most cherished possessions of the State : the Regaliaof the Saxon monarchy ; the Black Rood of St. Margaret (the Holy Cross ofHolyrood) from Scotland; the Crocis Gneyth (or Cross of St. Neot) from*Wales, deposited here by Edward I. ; the Sceptre or Rod of Moses ; the Ampullaof Henry IV. ; the sword with which Kins; Athelstane cut through the rockat Dunbar ; the sword of Wayland Smith, by which Henry II. was knighted ;the sword of Tristan, presented to John by the Emperor; the dagger whichwounded Edward I. at Acre ; the iron gauntlet worn by John of France whentaken prisoner at Poitiers.—Dean Stanley. The Regalia were kept here in the time of the Commonwealth, andHenry Marten was entrusted with the duty of investigating them. Hedragged the crown, sword, sceptre, &c, from their chest, and put themon George Wither, the poet, who, being thus crow
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1901
