ge of having corrupted the King's Court, 1388.

[Illustration: THE CHAPTER HOUSE AND CLOISTER, _After W. Hollar_.]

[Illustration: THE NAVE, OR PAUL'S WALK. _After W. Hollar_.]

[Illustration: THE CHOIR. _After W. Hollar._]

[Illustration: THE LADY CHAPEL. _After W. Hollar._]

[Illustration: THE ROSE WINDOW. _From the drawing by E.B. Ferrey in
the Trophy Room, St. Paul's Cathedral._]

[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF OLD ST. PAUL'S. _After W. Hollar._
_The dotted line shews the position of Wren's Cathedral._]

[Illustration: THE SHRINE OF ST. ERKENWALD. _After W. Hollar._]

[Illustration: TOMBS OF SEBBA AND ETHELRED. _After W. Hollar._]

St. Paul's, as we see, was rich in tombs of mediaeval bishops; as to
Royalty it could not be named as compared with Westminster Abbey, for
the City was not a royal residence except in very rare cases. But here
we come to two tombs of Kings. Sebba was buried in the North Aisle in
695. He had been King of the East Saxons, but being afflicted with
grievous sickness he became a monk. His tomb remained until the Great
Fire, as did that of Ethelred the Unready, next to it. On the arches
above were tablets containing the following inscriptions:--

"Hic jacet Sebba Rex Orientalium Saxonum; qui conversus fuit ad fidem
per Erkenwaldum Londonensem Episcopum, anno Christi DCLXXVII. Vir
multum Deo devotus, actibus religiosis, crebris precibus & piis
elemosynarum fructibus plurimum intentus; vitam privatam & Monasticam
cunctis Regni divitiis & honoribus praeferens: Qui cum regnasset annos
XXX. habitum religiosum accepit per benedictionem Waltheri Londinensis
Antistitis, qui praefato Erkenwaldo successit. De quo Venerabilis Beda
in historia gentis Anglorum."[1]

"Hic jacet Ethelredus Anglorum Rex, filius Edgari Regis; cui in die
consecrationis his, post impositam Coronam, fertur S. Dunstanus
Archiepiscopus dira praedixisse his verbis: Quoniam aspirasti ad regnum
per mortem fratris tui, in cujus sanguinem conspiraverunt Angli, cum
ignominiosa matre tua; non deficiet gladius de domo tua, saeviens in te
omnibus diebus vitae tuae; interficiens de semine tuo quousque Regnum
tuum transferatur in Regnum alienum, cujus ritum et linguam Gens cui
praesides non novit; nec expiabitur nisi longa vindicta peccatum tuum,
& peccatum matris tuae, & peccatum virorum qui interfuere consilio
illius nequam: Quae sicut a viro sancto praedicta evenerunt; nam
Ethelredus variis praeliis per Suanum Danorum Regem fili