South-East Window.

SEE NO. V. IN THE ANNEXED

PLAN.

No. 8. Jesus washes His Disciples', Feet, and then takes the Pascal supper with them. Judas Iscariot goes out to betray Him.

"Jesus laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded Himself; after that He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the Disciples' feet;-then cometh He to Simon Peter; and Peter saith unto Him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" John xiii. 4, 5, 6.

This action is represented in the back-ground of the picture.

"And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve Disciples with Him." Luke xxii. 14.

"Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me; then the Disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Jesus answered, he it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it."

Judas Iscariot then having received the sop, went immediately out; and it was night." John xiii. 21, 22, 26, 30.

No. 9. Jesus enters into Jerusalem, and afterwards the Greeks are brought to Him.

and cast their garAnd many spread down branches of And they that went

"And they brought the colt to Jesus, ments upon him; and he sat upon him. their garments in the way; and others cut the trees, and strewed them in the way. before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna : Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Mark xi. 7, 8, 9.

"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came therefore unto Philip, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again, Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man shall be glorified." John xii. 20, 21, 22, 23.

This reception of the Greeks by our Lord is to be seen in the back-ground.

EASTERN WINDOW OVER THE ALTAR-PIECE.

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No. 10. The apprehension of Jesus, after His agony in the garden.

"And he was withdrawn from the Disciples, (viz. Peter, James, and John) about a stone's cast; and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done." Luke xxii. 41, 42.

This action is represented in the back-ground of the picture.

"And immediately while He yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude, with swords and staves, from the chief Priests, and Scribes, and Elders; and he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, Master, and kissed him. And they laid their hands on him and took him. And one of them (Simon Peter) that stood by, drew a sword, and smote a servant of the High Priest, and cut off his ear.' Mark xiv. 43, 44, 45, 46, 47. "And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far; and He touched his ear, and healed him." Luke xxii. 51.

"Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" John xviii. 11. "Then all the Disciples forsook him and fled." Matt. xxvi. 56.

The paintings in this window have suffered in some places the corrosive effects of time and weather; but the parts which remain uninjured, such as the figure of St. Peter, in No. 10, putting up his sword indignantly and reluctantly at the command of his Lord, and those of the disciples preceding their Master, into the gate of Jerusalem, in No. 9, exhibit fine specimens of this art.

Eastern Window over the Altar-Pièce.

SEE NO. VI. IN THE ANNEXED PLAN.

No. 11. The Ascension of Christ into Heaven.

"And when He (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him from their sight. And while they looked steadfastly towards

Heaven, as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven." Acts i. 9, 10, 11.

No. 12. Jesus with the two Disciples at Emmaus.

"And they drew nigh to the village (Emmaus), whither they went, and He (Jesus) made as though He would have gone farther, but they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them."

"And it came to pass as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to them, and their eyes were opened, and they knew Him." Luke xxiv. 29, 30.

The first part of the action is represented in the back-ground, the second in the body of the picture.

This is a splendid window; the figures are rather of a larger size; and the two pieces unite so as to produce a grand general effect. In both compartments, the figures are finely designed and drawn; but in the upper, No. 11, the faces are touched with peculiar force and spirit.

Lorth-Gast Window.

SEE NO. VII. IN THE ANNEXED PLAN.

No. 13. Jesus scourged.

"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged Him." John xix. 1.

No. 14. Jesus crowned with thorns, derided, and beaten.

"And the Soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on His head; and they put on Him a purple robe, and a reed in His right hand; and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him; saying, Hail! King of the Jews."

"And they smote Him with their hands." John xix. 2, 3.

The latter part of this action is represented in the back-ground of the picture.

!

No. 15. The Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, by the Angel, and her consequent visitation of her cousin Elizabeth.

"And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin, espoused to a man, whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the Angel came in unto her and said, Hail! thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women." Luke i. 26, 27, 28.

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And in the back-ground of the picture,

'Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Juda, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth." Luke i. 39, 40.

In this window, the lowest compartment will probably attract most attention. In design it is not Italian, but seems to be painted after an able German or Flemish Master. The colouring is rich and harmonious; and the figure of the Virgin Elizabeth, in the back-ground of the picture, may remind the intelligent observer of Rubens, though executed long before his time.

Portrait Windows.

The two windows of ancient stained glass, remaining to be described in the Choir, are on the north side; and the subjects which they contain are both of the same character. In each of these are displayed Portraits of the Nobility and Gentry, connected with the religious house of Herckenrode, and who probably presented these memorials of themselves to this convent.

They are represented in postures of religious worship; before each of them is an altar, or an altartable, and in many instances some object of their adoration, as members of the Roman Catholic Church; and from behind they are supported by tutelar or guardian saints.*

Many of the painted windows of this Cathedral, before their demolition in the Civil War, appear to have been of this description.

In the smaller window are six compartments of this sort.* In the lowest of these (No. I.), we see the Virgin and Child, and an Abbess of the Cistertian Order, attended by two of her sister Nuns, adoring. These are evidently portraits taken from the life, and are very delicately designed and pencilled. They are supposed to represent the Abbess of Herckenrode, Matilda, of the noble Family of De Lechy, or Lexy, and two of the Sisterhood, at the time when this piece bears date, the year 1532. In the middle range, between the Virgin and Abbess, is the representation of a Church or Chapel; probably that of the Abbey, before it was rebuilt in the sixteenth century; and in front appear the arms and crosier of the Convent. In the two next compartments, the Virgin and Child, beautifully designed, are again the objects of adoration. And in the higher (No. 3), another Cistertian Abbess, and also an Abbot of the same order, are introduced.

The Abbot is upon his knees, immediately before the Virgin and Child, and is supposed to represent S. Bernard, Abbot of Clairval in the twelfth century, whose powerful patronage of the Cistertians has occasioned them to consider him as a second parent, and to commemorate him with the honours of a founder. To him they ascribe principally their rules, and their habit, and one hundred and sixty convents founded under his auspices; and from him, in many parts of Europe, they are called Bernardins.

He was a man of very superior genius and endowments, which, 'assisted by a pious and benevolent character, obtained for him a most extraordinary and

See No, viii. in the annexed plan.

+ On a shield placed against a crosier in pale, ermine, on a chevron, gules, three escallop shells, or.

The Cistertian convents were generally, if not always, consecrated to the Virgin.