Peter Parley's Visit to London, During the Coronation of Queen Victoria

"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. xxxiv. 31, – 'And the King stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.'

"At the conclusion of the sermon, to which the Queen was deeply attentive, the Archbishop of Canterbury advanced toward her Majesty, and standing before her, thus addressed her: —

"'Madam, is your Majesty willing to take the oath?'

"The Queen answered, 'I am willing.'

"The Archbishop then ministered these questions; and the Queen answered each question severally, as follows: —

"Archbishop. – Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes in Parliament agreed on, and the respective laws and customs of the same?

"Queen. – I solemnly promise so to do.

"Archbishop. – Will you to the utmost of your power cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?

"Queen. – I will.

"Archbishop. – Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant reformed religion established by law? And will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established within England and Ireland, and the territories thereunto belonging? And will you preserve unto the bishops and clergy of England and Ireland, and to the churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them, or any of them?

"Queen. – All this I promise to do.

"The Queen then proceeded to the altar, attended by the various functionaries, who had taken up their stations about her, and kneeling before it, laid her right hand on the great Bible, and, in the sight of her people, took a solemn oath, to observe the promises which she had made, saying —

"'The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep – So help me, God.'

"Her Majesty then kissed the book and set her royal sign manual to a copy of the oath. After this solemn ceremony she returned to the chair, and kneeling at her fald-stool, the choir sang, with the most touching effect, the magnificent hymn —

"'Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And warm them with thy Heav'nly fire;
Thou who th' Anointing Spirit art,
To us thy sevenfold gifts impart;
Let thy bless'd unction from above
Be to us comfort, life, and love;
Enable with celestial light
The weakness of our mortal sight:
Anoint our hearts, and cheer our face,
With the abundance of thy grace.
Keep far our foes, give peace at home —
Where Thou dost dwell no ill can come.
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And Spirit of both, to be but one,
That so through ages all along,
This may be our triumphant song;
In Thee, O Lord, we make our boast,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.'"

CHAPTER IX.

PARLEY CONTINUES HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE CORONATION IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY

"The ceremony of anointing followed next in order – Her Majesty having been divested of her crimson robe by the Mistress of the Robes, took her seat in St. Edward's chair, and the Dean of Westminster taking from the altar the ampulla, containing the consecrated oil, and pouring some of it into the anointing spoon, proceeded to anoint her Majesty on the crown of the head and on the palm of both hands, in the form of a cross – four knights of the garter holding over her head a rich cloth of gold.

"The Dean of Westminster then took the spurs from the altar and delivered them to the Lord Great Chamberlain, who, kneeling before her Majesty, presented them to her, after which she forthwith sent them back to the altar. The Viscount Melbourne, who carried the sword of state, then delivered it to the Lord Chamberlain, receiving in lieu thereof, another sword, in a scabbard of purple velvet, which his lordship delivered to the archbishop, who laid it on the altar. After a short prayer the archbishop took the sword from off the altar, and, accompanied by several other bishops, delivered it into the Queen's right hand. Then rising up her Majesty proceeded to the altar and offered the sword in the scabbard, delivering it to the archbishop, who placed it on the altar. Lord Melbourne then redeemed it by payment of one hundred shillings, and having unsheathed it, bore it during the remainder of the ceremony.

"The most important part of the ceremonial now approached: the Dean of Westminster having received the imperial mantle of cloth of gold, lined or furred with ermine, proceeded to invest her Majesty, who stood up for the purpose. Having resumed her seat, the orb with the cross was brought from the altar, and delivered into her Majesty's hand by the archbishop; having in like manner been invested with the ring, the sceptre and the rod with the dove were placed in each hand. The archbishop, then, standing before the altar, took the crown into his hands, and again laying it on the altar said —

"'O God, who crownest thy faithful servants with mercy and loving kindness, look down upon this thy servant Victoria, our Queen, who now in lowly devotion boweth her head to thy divine majesty; and as thou dost this day set a crown of pure gold upon her head, so enrich her royal heart with thy heavenly grace, and crown her with all princely virtues, which may adorn the high station wherein thou hast placed her, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.'

"The Royal Crown was then brought from the altar and placed on her Majesty's head.

"At this instant the most deafening and enthusiastic cries of 'God save the Queen!' rose from every part of the Abbey, the peers and peeresses put on their coronets, the bishops their caps, and the spectators cheered and waved their handkerchiefs. The guns in the park, and at the tower, fired a royal salute.

"After a short prayer by the archbishop, the choir sang an anthem, and the Dean of Westminster taking the Bible, which had been carried in the procession, from off the altar, presented it to her Majesty, who, having received it, delivered it again to the archbishop, and it was returned to the altar.

"Having thus been solemnly anointed, and crowned, and invested with all the ensigns of royalty, the archbishop solemnly blessed the Queen, the rest of the bishops and the peers following every part of the benediction with a loud and hearty 'Amen.'

"The Te Deum was then sung by the choir, and her Majesty passing to the recognition chair in which she first sat, received the homage of the peers.

"The bishops first approached, and, kneeling before the Queen, the archbishop pronounced the words of homage; the others repeating them after him, and, kissing her Majesty's hand, retired.

"The Royal Dukes, ascending the steps of the throne, took off their coronets, and kneeling, repeated the words of homage, and then, touching the crown on her Majesty's head, kissed her on the left cheek and retired.

"The other Peers then performed their homage, each in succession touching the crown and kissing her Majesty's hand.

"The monotony of this ceremony was relieved by one little incident which evinced much kindness on the part of her Majesty. As one of the peers (Lord Rolle), who is a very aged and infirm man, approached the throne, he stumbled and fell back from the second step upon the floor. He was immediately raised, and supported by two noble lords; when he again approached, her Majesty, who beheld the occurrence with emotion, rose from her throne and advanced to meet him, extending her hand to him, and expressed much concern for the accident. This little trait of genuine goodness of heart was warmly cheered.

"Peter Parley was highly amused at the scene which was enacted behind the throne, where one of her Majesty's Household was busily engaged scattering the coronation medals. Peers, Peeresses, Aldermen, and Military officers engaging warmly in the scramble and eagerly clutching at the coveted memorials.

"When the homage was concluded, her Majesty descended from the throne and, proceeding to the altar, partook of the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

"The procession was then marshaled in the same order in which it had entered the Abbey. The rich effect of the costumes was however much heightened by the coronets of the peers.

"After a short stay in the robing rooms, the procession for the return to Buckingham palace was formed, and the crowned Sovereign left Westminster Abbey amid the enthusiastic greeting of her faithful and devoted subjects.