and England. Here was Edward III. married to the beautiful and heroic Philippa; and it was from this city that the queen, in her husband's absence, marched against the Scots, and gained the great victory of Neville's Cross. It was here that, in the reign of Henry IV., Archbishop Scroope, and his friend Lord Mowbray, raised an army for the reformation of abuses, an enterprise which ended in their being treacherously seized and put to death. When the brave Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, fell at the battle of Wakefield, the haughty Margaret of Anjou, in the insolence of her short-lived triumph, gave the order "Off with his head, and set it on York gates, His son Edward, having been proclaimed king at London, marched to York, where Henry VI., Margaret, and the Prince of Wales were stationed, and defeated them in the bloody battle of Towton. According to some accounts, Edward was crowned in the cathedral. The events of the next few years are too well known to require to be recounted here. They are recorded in the poetry of Shakspere, and the romance of Bulwer, as well as on the more sober page of history. Edward, when he landed in England to regain his crown, committed the deliberate act of perjury in the Minster-swearing that he only came to claim his private estates, and that he would be loyal to King Henry-which affixes to his memory a stigma which his apologists in vain try to remove. The city welcomed him cordially when he returned in triumph. Richard III. visited York after his usurpation, and was greeted with a splendid reception. Some writers affirm that he was crowned here, but there seem to be no grounds for the assertion. Three years after, Richard fell at Bosworth Field, and Henry VII. made a "progress in the north," during which he made a grand entry into York. The dissolution of the religious houses by Henry VIII. caused much discontent here, and, in the "Pilgrimage of Grace" which ensued, York was taken by the rebels, but speedily recaptured, and the ringleaders executed. This insurrection, and other disturbances, led to the institution by king Henry of the Council of the North, which met in this city, and continued to execute its oppressive functions, till it was abolished in 1640 by the Long Parliament. In 1572 the Earl of Northumberland was beheaded here, for the abortive insurrection in favour of Mary queen of Scots, and the Roman Catholic religion. James I., while going to London to receive the English crown, visited York on his way, and was welcomed with much enthusiasm. His unfortunate son removed his court to York, when his difficulties with the Parliament were increasing. The battle-field of Marston Moor, where Charles' hopes were completely wrecked, is within sight of the city walls. York held out for the king for thirteen weeks, but was at length obliged to make an honourable capitulation. At the revolution, the citizens officially declared for the Prince of Orange, by presenting him with an address, in which they congratulated him as the deliverer of the Protestant religion. Since that time York has ceased to have a place of much importance in history. Yet one more event, and one hardly less important than any of those which have been referred to, remained to be recorded- to York belongs the honour of being the birth-place of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, which was organized here in September 1831. "The changes," remarks Mr. Phillips, "which York has experienced in the course of the present century, have not effaced, but have much impaired its antique and singular character. The ramparts reared over Roman walls and Roman villas open to admit Stephenson and his chariots, alike impressed with the stamp of the latest iron age; railway stations replace the abbeys and hospitals which sheltered within the walls; the castle is transformed into a jail; the Gothic bridge is gone; the very river has lost its tide; and we can hardly trace the ford or ferry by which the soldiers passed from the camp of Eburacum to enjoy the baths on the road to Calcaria. "But nature still endures; and many of the monuments of other days remain. From the summit of Clifford's, which replaced Earl Waltheof's, Tower, we trace the woody vale across which, in earlier times, the cohorts marched to Derventio. The road remains which conducted Hadrada to a bloody grave, and Edward IV. to a troubled crown; and, over all, more durable and unchangeable than Norman tower or Roman road, the smooth and shadowy Wold, crowned by the burial-mounds of Brigantian chiefs, rises calm and cold as in primeval times." * York is situated at the junction of the rivers Ouse and Foss, in one of the richest and most extensive vales in England. It is a county in itself, and the see of an archbishop, and occupies a position at the point where the three Ridings of Yorkshire meet. It is nearly equidistant between London and Edinburgh, and is an important centre of railway communication. The commerce of this city is considerable, * "Rivers, Mountains, and Sea-coasts of Yorkshire," p. 73. There are some large but it is not so great as it once was. iron foundries, and an extensive glass manufactory. Brewing and comb-making are extensively carried on; and among other manufactures may be mentioned gloves, leather, paperhangings, confectionary, etc. Though it seems, with its narrow streets and ancient buildings, to belong to the past, York has nevertheless much of the life and activity of the present, and seems to hold out the promise of advancing in importance and material wealth as much as it has formerly declined. It is provided with the various institutions which we expect to find in a city which still claims to be the metropolis of the north of England. Such of these as require to be noticed will be mentioned afterwards. York returns two members to Parliament. In describing the antiquities of York, we shall take them in their order, not of time, but of importance. THE MINSTER is the great attraction of this ancient city. It is acknowledged to be one of the most magnificent Gothic structures in existence, and is visited annually by travellers from every part of the civilized world. The The venerable Bede informs us that the first building on the site of this cathedral was erected by Edwin, the first Christian king of Northumbria, who was baptized on Easter day, 627. By his orders, the little wooden oratory, hastily erected for the occasion, was replaced by an edifice of stone. The building having fallen into a state of decay, was repaired and beautified by Wilfrid, the third Archbishop. cathedral suffered much in the deadly struggles of which York was the scene in 1069; but it was rebuilt on a larger scale, about 1080, by Archbishop Thomas. Again, we read of its partial destruction by fire, in 1137, and of its tardy restoration in 1171. At that time Archbishop Roger rebuilt the choir in the Norman style. The commencement of the present structure, however, may be dated from 1227, when Walter de Grey erected the south transept. In 1260, the north transept was built by John le Romayne, father of the archbishop of that name. The archbishop was not behind his father in zeal; for in 1291 he laid the foundation of the nave, which, along with the west front, was completed by his successor about 1338. About the same period the chapter house was erected. The choir, as built by Archbishop Roger in 1171, not harmonizing with the rest of the building, was taken down, and the first stone of the present choir laid by Archbishop Thoresby, July 19, 1361. The funds for this, as for the other parts of the building, were principally derived from the liberality of the archbishop, who superintended the work, and from the proceeds of "indulgences." The choir was not entirely completed till about 1400. The central tower, which had been erected as a bell tower about 1260, was re-cased, heightened, and changed into a lantern tower, being adorned in the perpendicular style, to correspond with the rest of the building, in 1405. The structure was completed by the erection of the south-west tower, commenced in 1432, and the north-west tower, commenced about 1470. The Cathedral was reconsecrated in 1472. We shall quote only two more dates connected with the history of York Minster 1829 and 1840-both of them memorable for destructive conflagrations. On Feb. 1st, 1829, a madman named Jonathan Martin, having concealed himself behind the tomb of Archbishop Grenefield, after evening service, set fire to the choir. The fire not being discovered till next morning, all efforts to save the choir were unavailing. The conflagration was, however, prevented from extending farther. The whole of the beautiful tabernacle work of carved oak, the stalls, the pulpit, the organ, the roof, and the rest of the wood work of the choir, were destroyed. The damage was estimated at £65,000; which sum was soon raised by public subscription. The repairs were completed, and the Cathedral re-opened in 1832. Again in 1840 this noble edifice suffered seriously from fire. The fire originated in the south-west tower, which it reduced to a mere shell, and then spread to the roof of the nave, which was entirely destroyed. The damage was £23,000. The restoration of the parts which were destroyed has been admirably effected. The attention of the tourist is naturally first devoted to a survey of the exterior of this noble pile. The ground plan is a Latin cross, and the building consists of a nave with side aisles; a transept with aisles; a choir and aisles, with a chapel in continuation. There are, besides, a chapter-house and other buildings, in addition to the general plan, connected with different parts of the cathedral. The length of the building, from base to base of the buttresses, is 524 feet, and its extreme breadth is 223 feet.† The West Front, with which we shall begin, consists of a * Martin was tried, and acquitted on the ground of insanity. He was accordingly directed to be confined as a lunatic. He died in 1838. + The extreme length of St. Paul's Cathedral is 500 feet, and the breadth is 250 feet. Westminster Abbey is 375 feet from east to west, and 200 from north to south. centre and two side divisions, corresponding with the nave and aisles. These divisions are separated by buttresses, which are richly enchased with niches and canopies in relief. The buttresses form the corners of two uniform towers that rise, massive yet graceful, at the extremity of the aisles. The elevation of the central portion commences with an elegant entrance. It is divided into two doorways by a pillar com posed of three clustered columns with foliated capitals. The mouldings round this entrance are ornamented with sculpture of much delicacy and beauty. The arch is surmounted by an acutely pointed pediment. Above the door is a great window of exquisite beauty, "an unrivalled specimen," says Mr. Britton, "of the leafy tracery that marks the style of the middle of the fourteenth century.' The west front is adorned with various statues (among them that of Archbishop Melton, who completed this part of the cathedral), and other sculptured orna ments. " The Nave is divided by buttresses, on both sides, into seven symmetrical divisions. The north side, however, is in a plainer style than the south. The buttresses on the south side are adorned with niches, which formerly contained statues, and are surmounted by lofty and elegant pinnacles. On the north side the buttresses have each a low pyramidal cap. Each division of the aisles has a fine window in three lights, made by mullions. The clerestory windows above correspond in number. They are of five lights, and have generally a circle or wheel in the head of the arch, with quatrefoil tracery. The South Transept is the oldest portion of the present building, with the exception of the crypt. The usual entrance to the cathedral is by the porch in the centre of this front. The windows are narrow and acutely pointed, and the ornaments are more simple and chaste in their style than those of the nave. There is a magnificent rose window in the pediment 'which surmounts this front. On the west side of this transept there is an ugly building used as a Will Office, and on the east there are Vestries, which it is a marvel to every tourist of taste that the people of York should suffer to disfigure their magnificent minster. The North Transept differs materially in style from the south. Five splendid lancet windows surmount an arcade of trifoil arches, occupying the greater part both of the width and height of this transept. The Choir (including the Lady Chapel, its continuation) is built in the same style as the nave, but is of a later date, and displays the progress of Gothic architecture from the |