mutilated; having been defaced by the Scotch prifoners,' confine!
here after the battle of Dunbar.
In the choir is the bilhop’s throne; elevated to an uncommol
height, eredted in times, of the triumph of fuperftition: a painfJ
afcent to the prefent prelate, whofe wilh is directed more to diftiil
guiih himfelf by benevolence and iincerity, than any exterior trail
pings, or badges of dignity.
On the lides of the pulpit are the evangelifts, finely inlaid!
The chancel and altar-piece is of ftone, beautifully cut into open
work *, and on each fide are two ftalls, in ftone, originally defignea
for the refting-places of fick votaries.
On one fide of the choir, is the tomb of bilhop Hatfield, who dieifl
in 1381., ornamented with as many coats of arms as would ferve ana
German prince. Multitudes of other prelates and priors refted in thn
church, covered with beautiful tombs and braffes, fwept away by thfl
hand of facrilege in the time of Henry VIII. or of undiftinguiihin.a
reformation in fucceeding reigns ; or of fanaticifm, in the unhappa
times of the laft century.
Behind the altar ftood the ihrine of St. Cuthbert, once the richeft iH
Great Britain: the marks of pilgrims feet in the worn floor, ftiB
evince the multitude of votaries : at the diffolution, his body wtl
taken out of the tomb and interred beneath.
Beyond this, at the extreme eaft end, ftood nine altars,, dedicate«
to-as many faints ; above each is a: moft elegant window, extreme»
narrow, lofty, and iharply arched : above thefe, is a round windo«
very large and finely radiated with ftone-work, called St. Catharim'm
* D eign ed in Smith's edition o f Bede, 264.-
fronif
u its being in the form of the wheel ufed at her martyrdom'. In
!spart of the church is another fine window, divided into circular
Uns. All the windows in this ifle terminate iharply; and,
te the work of a later age than that of the body of the church;
bably the time of prior Foffor.
The Galilee, or lady’s chapel, lies at the weft end of the cathedral. T h e G a l i l e e .
¡¡thin are three rows of pillars, each confifting of round united ■
¡lumns; the arches round, fculptured on the moldings with zig-
iwork*. This place was allotted to the female part of the vota-
L Y/ho were never permitted to pafs a certain line to the eaft of it,
Lnjuft before the font. Here they might ftand to hear divine
[iice; but were confined to this limit on pain of excommunica-
l Legend affigns as the caufe of this averfion in St. Cuthbert to
tfairfex, a charge of fedudtion brought againft him by a certain
[kefs, who was inftantly puniihed by being fwallowed up by the
pi, which, on the interceffion of the pacified faint, reftored her
'the king her father. From that time, not a woman was permitted
enter any church dedicated to this holy man. Mr. Grofe + relates,
;it in the fifteenth century two females, inftigated by invincible
jiriofity, drefling themfelves in man’s apparel, ventured beyond the
rohibitory line, were detedted, and fuffered certain penances as
(oriement for- their crime; ■ ' !In the Galilee, is t h e t o m b -of the venerable B e d e . His remains T om b o f - B e d e .
[ere firft depofited at yarrow, then placed in a golden coffin on the
ght fide of the body of St. Cuthbert; "and finally, in i 37°> tranfi-
ted by Richard of Barnard-caftle to this place.
* See the view o f it in Smith’ s edition o f Bede, p. 805. 1 in his account o f Durham cathedral, in his . third volume..