Pile, without any other Beauty but its Bulk: There is a good Number of Chapels within it, in which are the Tombs of several Kings, Queens, and even of private Persons; but of these there are few worthy of Remark: ’Twas in this Church I saw that call’d St. Edward’s Chair, which is of Wood, without any Ornament; and they say, it is the Chair which that Saint made Use of: The Kings are seated in it at the time of their Coronation: On one Side of this Chair is a Press, wherein is preserv’d in Waxwork the Effigy of General Monk, who, after the Death of Cromwell, restor’d Charles II. to the Throne of his Ancestors. In a Chapel hard by I was shewn another Statue in Waxwork, which represents Charles II. himself as big as the Life, dress’d in his Robes as Knight of the Garter: In the same Chapel I also saw the Waxwork Statue of the Duchess of Richmond, in her Habit as Duchess.
In this Church I met With an English Gentleman, an old Friend of mine, who carry’d me to the Parliament-house, where the King was expected that very Day, to put an End to that Session: And really I had not been long there before I saw the King enter in his royal Robes, and the Crown upon his Head: As I was inform’d his Stay there would be short, I went out, and plac’d myself in his Passage, that I might see his Retinue: I saw him go into his Coach, drawn by Eight Horses, attended by his Horse-Guards, and preceded by another Coach, in which sate the principal Officers of the Crown: The King of England never rides with this Attendance, but when he goes to meet his Parliament; for he is generally carry’d in a Sedan, with Six Footmen walking before, and Six Halberdiers, or Yeomen of the Guard, by the Sides of the Chair;
while the Officers that are in Waiting commonly follow his Majesty in Coaches, drawn each by a Pair of Horses: The Prince and Princess of Wales are attended, when they go out, much in the same manner: I observ’d a Custom among the Livery-Servants of the King and their Royal Highnesses, which I saw at no other Court, viz. That when they are in Waiting, they wear, instead of a Hat, plain Caps of black Velvet, made like the Caps of Running-Footmen.
After I had seen the King pass by, I went and din’d with my Lord ——, whose Brother I had seen in Spain: There I spent the Afternoon, and at Night he carry’d me to the Opera, where I was highly pleas’d, not only with the Performers, who were the best Voices in Europe, but with the Orchestre, which could not be finer nor better fill’d; yet, for all that, I don’t think it comes up to the Opera at Paris; for this at London is quite destitute of Dances, or at least when there are any, they are so ill executed, that they are intolerable to Persons of a nice Taste: The Stage-Dresses are indeed much richer than those of the French Actors; but then they are not of that clever Fancy, which the French alone may boast to be their peculiar Perfection: The English Stage has another Defect, and that is, the extreme Want of Performers, for they know nothing of Chorus’s, and when the Scene demands the Appearance of any Retinue, ’tis generally compos’d of People that they pick up where they can get them; for which Reason they all look very silly and confus’d: The Place where the Boxes are, is in a manner round: ’Tis small, but very lofty, and I thought the Seats very well laid out: The whole Company sits down, even those in the Pit, in which there are Benches that form
an Amphitheatre, which is not very high, but almost of a circular Figure, so that every body faces the Stage: This Place is so well lighted with Wax-Candles, that it dazzles one’s Eyes, which is a very great Diminution to the Lustre of the Theatre: The King, who was at the Opera when I was there, sate in a Box on the Right Side of the Stage, without any Distinction, and convers’d all the time with Three Ladies that were in his Box.
Some Days after this I went to the English Comedy: I shall say nothing of the Play that was acted there, because, as I did not understand the Language, I could only judge of it from the Applause that was given to it: The Actors seem’d to be excellent, at least, if I might judge, by their Gesture and Carriage, so that it would be a difficult Matter to find any that appear to better Advantage.
The little Prospect I had of obtaining any Employment at the Court of England, and the visible Decay of my Finances, forc’d me to think of departing very soon: Therefore, without Loss of Time, I made my Tours about the City of London, in order to see what was most worthy of Remark: I found very fine Courts, and more Squares than in any other City I ever saw, which would have been more magnificent, if they had not been spoil’d by inclosing them with wooden Pales, to convert the Ground within into Gardens. The Houses are commonly very small, most of them have no Courts before them, and there are few that have Gardens: But I must except a good many Hotels or Palaces, that are very magnificent; such as the Duke of Montague’s House, which is built in an exquisite Taste: The Court before it is very large and
beautiful; and the Garden perfectly answers the Beauty of the Building: The Stair-case is worth seeing by those of the nicest Skill: The Ceiling represents Phaeton asking Leave of the Sun to drive his Chariot, and the Fall of Phaeton is describ’d at the Entrance of the Saloon, just at the Top of the Stair-case: The Apartments on each Side of this Saloon are also very beautiful, and most richly furnish’d.
I went afterwards to see my Lord Marlborough’s House, which is very magnificent, and full of Pictures, done by the most able Hands, whereof the greatest Number was by Vandyke: After having in like manner taken a View of several other great Houses, of which I don’t undertake to give a Description, I was shew’d a Column, which in my Opinion far surpass’d the famous Pillar of Trajan: ’Twas the Monument, erected in Memory of the terrible Fire that happen’d at London, soon after the Restoration of Charles II. to the Throne of England: ’Tis pity but this Pillar had more Room to stand in, it being pent up in a pretty close Nook, which is the very Spot where the Fire first broke out: There’s a Latin Inscription upon it, shewing all the Circumstances of that sad Misfortune: In the Pedestal of this Monument is a Door, that opens to Stairs cut out in the Pillar, by which People ascend to the Top of it; and in all London there is not a Place from whence there is a more extensive Prospect of the Country, except it be the Cupola of St. Paul’s.
Not far from this Monument is that Structure which is call’d the Royal Exchange, where the Merchants meet every Week-day from Noon till Two o’clock: ’Tis a very large quadrangular Building, and its principal Front is very magnificent: