The next, and last, work of this eminent and excellent prelate, the construction of the western front, and the nave and aisles of his cathedral at Winchester, was commenced in 1394, and the 70th of his age; and in this instance the unimpaired vigour of his conceptions, and the extreme liberality with which he appropriated his resources, are equally subjects for lasting admiration. It was built by Walklyn, the first Norman bishop after the conquest; and in its governing features, extent and massiveness, is in the style so called. We have before mentioned the western front as the work of Wykeham, which, though mutilated by barbarian fanaticism, retains much of its splendour, and is a marked example of his manner. Entering by this door-way, we are at once upon the scene of his mightiest achievement;—the eye becomes fixed for a moment by the gorgeous colouring of the eastern window, then wanders upwards amidst the infinite tracery and adornment of the vault, and, having scanned the vastness of the pile, seeks repose in a more leisure examination of the isolated, but not less beautiful, objects of sculpture below.
Apart from associations and impressions induced by the aspect of Gothic temples upon the great scale, we here find the elements of solidity, propriety, and uniformity carefully preserved, and the enrichments distributed with a masterly hand; the groining of the roof springs from single shafts rising from octangular bases; the capitals are highly embellished with busts and foliage, and the frieze charged with bold and finely-sculptured bosses; in fact, we have here before us an era in the Gothic style, and a perfect adaptation of its capabilities, carried out with all the originality that distinguished the genius of the architect.
The various writers who have treated on the antiquities of Winchester agree that the effect produced by the columnar vista of the nave, in combination with the group of chantries and screens, is not surpassed by any spot in England, or in Europe. In minute Gothic, or shrine-work, it is also unrivalled. The tomb of Wykeham, executed, according to the practice of the middle ages, under his own direction, is the purest of all authorities in this style: it is placed within the mortuary chapel, or chantry, occupying the fifth arch from the west end, and is rich in canopies and tabernacle work; the latter originally contained statues of saints, particularly that of the Virgin, which stood against the same pillar, when in his youth he had worshipped here; but these have long since been destroyed, and the tomb despoiled also of the enchased escutcheons which adorned it. The marble figure represents the prelate as possessing full features, and a placid, benign, and intelligent countenance; it is clothed in full episcopal costume, the head resting upon a pillow supported by angels, and at the feet are three figures of one of the religious orders, in the attitude of prayer.
The life so usefully spent closed in the year 1404, leaving more durable and splendid memorials than it has been the lot of any other individual to rear. Having, for nearly half a century, held the highest stations, and possessed almost unbounded influence, we find it to have been exerted in a spirit far in advance of his times; and personal aggrandizement grew upon him as a consequence of undeviating integrity and universal benevolence; these great and marked qualities were evinced in pure and unabated loyalty to his prince, courtesies and services to his equals of the church and the nobles of the land; and, above all, in the kindness, forbearance, and mercy which he caused to be exercised towards the people of a yet unenlightened age.
William of Wykeham expired at his manor house, or palace, of Waltham, Hants, A.D. 1404, in the eightieth year of his age, and his remains rest under the tomb we have described. His life affords, perhaps, the most brilliant example on record of the combined power of industry and genius; the industry to acquire knowledge, and the genius to apply it in advance of preceding theories. His earliest employments seem to have been merely such as a tolerably well-educated man of the fourteenth century would find little difficulty in obtaining. Architecture was his diverging point from the monotony of ordinary life towards the greatness he achieved, his first essays appearing to have resulted from opportunities which casually fell in his way, but embraced with an alacrity inspired by self-confidence. Having once engaged in it, his fondness for the science knew no abatement, for however lofty his position in the state, or onerous his duties as a churchman, he found leisure to cultivate it; and having engrafted new and more impressive features upon the style he delighted in, may be said to have died in the exercise of this profession, just before the completion of his cathedral at Winchester.
So exalted were the stations and so extensive the influence he possessed, that the spirit of benevolence by which he was actuated had full scope for exertion. While serving his prince with unswerving loyalty, he found means to protect the people from oppression and exactions, and by numerous courtesies and services to the nobility, won them to a milder exercise of their territorial privileges; while in the relations of private intercourse, we are told that he was “the kindest and most generous of patrons, and the most constant and affectionate friend, rarely changing his officers or domestics, none leaving, or being deserted by him, and all receiving in their turn testimonies of his favour.”
By his hand the revenues of the church were disbursed in her service and to her honour, and, to use the words of Lowth, the whole period from the meridian of life to the end of his days was employed “in one continued series of generous actions and great designs, for the good of his friends, of the poor, and of his country.”
OUR SERMON.
In adopting this heading for a series of articles, which will be continued as occasion offers, we are very far from intending to startle our readers with a rush of theological disquisition. In proof of our sincerity, and as an earnest of the gist of our discourses, we have chosen as a standing text, or motto, the golden rule of “peace and goodwill to all men;” but while we leave intact the functions of the divine, it is our business, as we conceive it to be our duty, to sermonize on the morals of trade, the social relations of every-day life, and even the proprieties which enhance every species of domestic enjoyment.
A right understanding of the relative duties of master and man, or of employer and the employed, yields to no subject in importance; peculiar incidents, induced by a rapidly increasing population, the tendency of commercial wealth to accumulate in masses, and its employment under the familiar term “capital,” through the agency of individuals, in the construction of great works, constitutes, however, an era in the Building trade to which former periods bear no very strict analogy. In offering our humble opinions upon actuating causes and their effects, be the subject what it may, we will never lose sight of our text; we shall make use neither of angry words nor denunciations; peace is too lovely to our minds, and charity too imperative to be abandoned; we would dispel the darker and sterner passions, giving every brother full credit for good intentions, and assign occasional deviations from the path of right rather to misfortune than intention. Whatever the class of men addressed or dealt with, this, we are convinced, is the best and only true policy. It may be very well for any one to talk of their anger being aroused, or their indignation excited, and so on, and under such pleas to vent abuse, imprecate a thousand vengeances, and the like, but, depend upon it, fear is less to be relied on than love; we would win a child to our love, not deter it by frowns and coercion;—we would have a thousand friends rather than a single enemy.