the river with this intent from the Tower, for
several influential members of the family resided at this time at the
Tower.

The queen herself, however, as it happened, was at Westminster Palace,
and she had accordingly but little way to go to make her escape to the
Abbey.

The space which was inclosed by the consecrated limits, from within
which prisoners could not be taken, was somewhat extensive. It
included not only the church of the Abbey, but also the Abbey garden,
the cemetery, the palace of the abbot, the cloisters, and various
other buildings and grounds included within the inclosure. As soon as
the queen entered these precincts, she sank down upon the floor of the
hall, "alone on the rushes, all desolate and dismayed." It was in the
month of May, and the great fire-place of the hall was filled with
branches of trees and flowers, while the floor, according to the
custom of the time, was strewed with green rushes. For a time the
queen was so overwhelmed with her sorrow and chagrin that she was
scarcely conscious where she was. But she was soon aroused from her
despondency by the necessity of making proper arrangements for herself
and her family in her new abode. She had two daughters with her,
Elizabeth and Cecily--beautiful girls, seventeen and fifteen years of
age; Richard, Duke of York, her second son, and several younger
children. The youngest of these children, Bridget, was only three
years old. Elizabeth, the oldest, afterward became a queen, and little
Bridget a nun.

[Illustration: ANCIENT VIEW OF WESTMINSTER.]

The rooms which the queen and her family occupied in the sanctuary
are somewhat particularly described by one of the writers of those
days. The fire-place, where the trees and flowers were placed, was in
the centre of the hall, and there was an opening in the roof above,
called a _louvre_, to allow of the escape of the smoke. This hearth
still remains on the floor of the hall, and the louvre is still to be
seen in the roof above.[K] The end of the hall was formed of oak
panneling, with lattice-work above, the use of which will presently
appear. A part of this paneling was formed of doors, which led by
winding stairs up to a curious congeries of small rooms formed among
the spaces between the walls and towers, and under the arches above.
Some of these rooms were for private apartments, and others were used
for the offices of buttery, kitchen, laundry, and the like. At the end
of this range o