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 their places. As they entered they encountered the most deafening and enthusiastic plaudits, to which the announcement of her Majesty's arrival within the Abbey gave rise.

"While her Majesty was undergoing the ceremony of robing, in the magnificent room which Peter Parley has already told you about, the procession, which forms part of the ceremony within the Abbey, was arranged in order.

"Every thing having been prepared, her Majesty made her appearance habited in a rich mantle and train of crimson velvet, over a dress of satin wrought with gold, and the assembled thousands of her loyal subjects rose with one accord, and welcomed their Sovereign in a manner which must have thrilled the heart of the greatest potentate who ever swayed a sceptre. The band of instrumental music swelled forth their richest 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 the Lord. For there is the Seat of Judgment, even the Seat of the House of David. O pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love 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 it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.'

"As the procession moved slowly up the Abbey, the effect was most magnificent; the splendour of the pageantry, the beauty of the young Queen, whose mild blue eyes shone scarcely less brightly than the circlet of diamonds which encompassed her beauteous brow, and the rich effect of the music, as it reverberated among the aisles of the building, almost made Peter Parley think it was a scene in fairy-land, or one of those bright and unsubstantial visions which flit across the mind 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, the noblemen and others who composed the procession took up the stations which had been appropriated for them; the choir in the mean time continuing to chaunt the anthem.

"The cadences of the anthem had scarcely died away among the aisles of the Abbey, when Peter Parley was startled at the sound of youthful voices, singing at their highest pitch. He directed his eyes towards the spot whence the sound proceeded, and found it was the Westminster scholars, who, according to an ancient and established custom, greeted their sovereign with a kind of chaunt, 'Vivat Victoria Regina!'

"At the conclusion of this chaunt, which, though not the most harmonious, struck Peter Parley as certainly not the least interesting part of the greeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Great Chamberlain, and the Earl Marshal, advanced and commenced the ceremony of the Coronation by what is called the Recognition; that is, advancing towards each side of the theatre in succession, they thus addressed the assembled spectators:--

"'Sirs, we here present unto you Queen Victoria, the undoubted Queen of this 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 the joyful response 'God save Queen Victoria!' A flourish of trumpets added to the enthusiasm of the scene; and even Peter Parley, carried away by the feeling of the moment, shouted forth his acclamations, in as heartfelt a manner as the most devoted of her Majesty's subjects.

"During this part of the ceremony, the Queen remained standing by the chair on which she had at first taken her seat, and turned her face successively toward that part of the Abbey to which the question was addressed.

"When the enthusiastic cheering subsided her Majesty resumed her seat, and preparations were made for that part of the altar service called the Oblation. The Bible, the chalice, and patina, were placed upon the altar, before which, two officers of the wardrobe spread a rich cloth of gold, and laid upon it a cushion for her Majesty to kneel upon. The Bishops who were to be engaged in the service also advanced and put on their copes.

"Every thing being ready, her Majesty, supported by two bishops and preceded by the great officers of state bearing the regalia, approached the altar, and kneeling upon the cushion, made the various offerings.

"The first, which consisted of a pall or altar-cloth of gold, was delivered by an officer of the wardrobe to the Lord Chamberlain, and by him handed to the Lord Great Chamberlain, who delivered it to the Queen. Her Majesty then gave it to the Archbishop of Canterbury, by whom it was placed on the altar.

"An ingot of gold, a pound in weight, was then handed by the Treasurer of the Household to the Lord Great Chamberlain, by whom it was placed in the hands of the Queen, who delivered it to the Archbishop, by whom it was put into the oblation basin, and set upon the altar.

"The Archbishop then said the following prayer, the Queen remaining kneeling before the altar:--

"'O God, who dwellest in the high and holy place, with them also who are of an humble spirit, look down mercifully upon this thy servant Victoria our Queen, here humbling herself before Thee at thy footstool, and graciously receive these oblations, which, in humble acknowledgment of thy sovereignty over all, and of thy great bounty unto her in particular, she hath now offered up unto Thee, through JESUS CHRIST, our only mediator and advocate. Amen.'

"At the conclusion of this prayer her Majesty returned to the chair on the south side of the altar, and the whole of the regalia, except the swords, 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, the choir 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 the pulpit, which had been placed opposite her Majesty's chair of state, and preached the sermon. His lordship's text was chosen from 2 Chron.