“Fœlices rapuere animæ, heroesque beati, Illud ad æternas, Elysiasque domos.”
The sides of the tomb, divided into compartments by sun-flowers rising from vases, and the scroll-work at the lower end, deserve notice.
On the south side of the nave, toward the west, is the canopied tomb, with effigy, of RICHARD EEDES, Dean of Worcester, (died 1608). The Dean is represented with moustache and beard, skull-cap, ruff, and gown open in front, with hanging sleeves. Opposite, on the north side, is the tomb, with effigy, of Bishop THORNBOROUGH, died 1641,--the latest recumbent effigy of a bishop in the cathedral: he wears the rochet and chimere with full sleeves.
V. The two western bays of the _south aisle_ of the nave are _transition Norman_, like the western bays of the nave. The vaulting is quadripartite. The rest of the aisle has late Decorated windows, filled with a kind of flowing tracery, high in the wall, on account of the cloister which runs outside; and into which there are two plainly-arched entrances--the prior’s door in the bay nearest the transept, and the monks’ door in the third bay from the west end. The vaulting of this part of the aisle is lierne.
The wall of this aisle is, however, that of the Norman nave, as is proved by a series of five Norman arched recesses, one opposite to each of the present pier-arches. “Two of these at the east end are filled up with monumental arches of the period of the present south architecture of the nave. This is enough to shew that the semicircular arches existed previously.... They were probably meant to receive the monumental arches of distinguished persons, in the same way as at Hereford[68].”
The monuments in the south aisle are--in the second bay from the transept, the much mutilated effigy of an unknown ecclesiastic,--probably one of the priors of the monastery, represented as vested for the eucharistic office,--under a canopied recess. The date, according to Mr. Bloxam, is late in the fourteenth or early in the fifteenth century. In the third bay, within a Decorated recess, is the effigy of Bishop PARRY, (1610-1616,) “wearing the rochet and the chimere, the latter reaching a little below the knees;” in the fourth is a Perpendicular altar-tomb, with panelled front, of some unknown personage; in the fifth is the tomb of THOMAS LITTLETON, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, died Aug. 23, 1481. The brass, which represented him in his robes as Judge, was destroyed in the civil wars of the seventeenth century. This is the celebrated Judge whose treatise on land tenures was commented on by Sir Edward Coke in the reign of James I., and has still, in Fuller’s words, an “authentical reputation.” Littleton was born at Frankley in Worcestershire, and was in great favour with both Henry VI. and Edward IV. The Lords Lyttelton, of Hagley, are descended from this family. In the sixth bay is an altar-tomb in a recess for Bishop FREKE, (1584-1591,) with inscriptions in Greek, Latin, and English. In the two last bays are mural monuments, both by BACON, for SIR HENRY ELLIS, Colonel of the 23rd Regt., (Welsh Fusileers,) who fell at Waterloo; and for RICHARD SOLLY, Esq., (died 1804); neither of which deserve much notice. In the westernmost bay has been placed the monument of Bishop GAUDEN, (died 1662,) the probable author of the _Icon Basilike_. His effigy represents him with long hair, moustache, and beard, wearing the rochet and chimere. This monument was formerly against the wall on the north side of the choir, which has been removed. (See § VII.)