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are not warranted in assigning our more antient buildings to the Saxon period, in the total absence of historical record, nor even then, until we can first trace a corresponding similarity of style between them and some well authenticated production of our Saxon progenitors.

There are considerable remains of one building yet standing, though now principally confined to vaults and cellaring, which may be justly attributed to the Saxon era, since there can be no doubt that they once formed a part of the monastic edifices of Westminster Abbey, probably the Church, which was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor, in the latter years of his life. These remains compose the east side of the dark and principal cloisters, and range from the college dormitory on the south to the chapter-house on the north. The most curious part is the vaulted chamber, opening from the principal cloister, in which the standards for the trials of the Pix are kept, under the keys of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other officers of the crown. The vaulting is supported by plain groins, and semicircular arches, which rest on a massive central column, having an abacus moulding, and a square impost capital, irregularly fluted. In their original state, these remains, which are now subdivided by several cross walls, forming store-cellars, &c. appear to have composed only one apartment, about 110 feet in length and 30 feet in breadth, the semicircular arches of which were partly sustained by a middle row of eight short and massive columns, with square capitals diversified by a difference in the sculptured ornaments. These antient vestiges now form the basement story of the College School, and of a part of the Dean and Chapter's Library.'—p. 132.

Of the Norman style, which was introduced into England at the Conquest, there are certainly numerous remains, that have so often been mistaken for Saxon. Here we have still the circular arch, but with enlarged dimensions, increased height of column, and a greater regularity of plan. The cathedrals of Exeter, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, and Durham, besides many parish churches, may be cited as still exhibiting specimens of this early style; which Mr. Britton thus describes.

'The essential characteristics of the architectural style observable in the buildings erected by the Normans, in the century succeeding the Conquest, consisted in cylindrical massive columns, with regular bases and capitals, having semicircular arches springing from the latter. The walls were very thick, and were generally supported, or strengthened, by broad and flat perpendicular buttresses. Sometimes the columns were square or octangular, or had smaller pillars joined to them; they were also occasionally ornamented with spiral grooves, or flutings, passing round them, or were covered on the surface with a kind of raised diamond-shaped figures resembling net-work. The doors and windows were round-headed, and the latter were mostly high and narrow. Though the smaller arches were plain and simple, the principal ones were decorated with a variety of mouldings. Among these were the chevron, or zigzag, the embattled fret, the beak-head, the billet, and the nail-head. The roofs of the AngloNorman churches were often of timber, but there are various examples of stone groined roofs to be found in crypts, small churches, and in some of the cathedrals. They were formed with cross-springers, and sometimes

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additional ribs; but are much plainer than those of the Pointed style. The Anglo-Norman Towers were massive, square structures, rising to no great height above the roof of the buildings to which they were attached. The exterior of the walls was generally plain; the portals had sometimes figures sculptured in low relief over them. The west fronts were occasionally ornamented with series of small circular arches, arranged separately, or intersecting each other so as to form pointed arches at the intersectional crossings; this peculiar embellishment, of which the Priory of Castle Acre, Norfolk; St. Botolph's, at Colchester; Wenlock Abbey, Shropshire; Croyland Abbey, Lincolnshire; Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire; and other Norman buildings furnish examples, has been supposed, as antecedently stated, to have afforded the first idea of Pointed architecture, as an independent style.'-pp. 134, 135.

The exact epoch of the introduction of the first or EarlyPointed style, as we have chosen to call it, cannot be accurately determined; but Mr. Britton thinks that the general adoption of this remarkable change in Christian architecture, may safely be dated from the opening of Stephen's reign (in 1135). It commenced with small lancet-headed recesses and trefoil-headed windows. In the next reign, the massive character of the original Norman style began to change in the forms of its mouldings, capitals, and ornaments. The trefoil and quatrefoil leaves were introduced as enrichments upon the members between the columns and on the vaussure of the arches; and the chevron, billet, embattled fret, cable and other mouldings of Saxon and Norman character, were gradually discontinued. Durham Cathedral displays the transition from the Norman to the Early-Pointed order; and that of Salisbury, and Westminster Abbey, the highest perfection of the latter style.

In Salisbury Cathedral, the short massive Norman column, and expansive semicircular arch were entirely superseded by the tall clustered shaft, and narrow lance-headed arches, excepting in those of the body of the edifice, which nearly approach to the triangle. The groining is of the most simple form, being merely a single intersection over each compartment, (centering in a foliated boss, or knot), and an intervening rib. In the triforium, a sweeping elliptical arch incloses two double pointed ones, the smaller arches having cinquefoil heads: the vacant space below the point of each double pointed arch is pierced with a quatrefoil, and that under the segment arch with a rosette of eight leaves. The windows of the upper story are each formed by three lancet divisions, the middle one being considerably higher than the others; an arrangement and mode of construction that became very prevalent in buildings of that age. It must be noticed, that the light shafts which surround the columns of the nave and choir are completely detached, of a different kind of marble, and are not, as in most of those in other Cathedrals, wrought out of the columns themselves. The upper part of the tower and lofty spire of this edifice are of later date, yet both in design and ornament they very admirably combine with the general style of the fabric of the cathedral.'-pp145, 146.

This style continued until the end of the reign of Henry III.that is, about a century and a half. Its other most remarkable specimens are the cathedrals of Lincoln, Winchester, Wells, Lichfield, Worcester, Chichester, Ely, Carlisle, Llandaff, and Peterborough, the minster of Beverley, the abbeys of Fountains, Kirkstall, Rivaulx, Tintern, &c.

The second, or Decorate-Pointed style, may be said to have extended over about a century, and through the reigns of the three Edwards; during which perhaps, says Mr. Britton, for grace and elegance of proportion, for richness of decoration without exuberancy, and for scientific skilfulness of execution, the Pointed style received its greatest improvements.

"The remarks of Dr. Milner on this division of the Pointed style are extremely apposite; except perhaps, that at the outset, he limits its improvement too immediately to the time of Edward the First, instead of extending it through the two following reigns.-" During the reign of our first Edward," says that writer," the architecture of this country, through the genius, industry, and piety of its architects, and artists, acquired a new character, or rather transformed itself into a new order of the Pointed style. The first feature of this was the general adoption of the well-proportioned and well-formed aspiring arch. The pointed arches, which had hitherto been constructed, though sometimes accidentally, graceful and perfect, were almost always too narrow, too sharp in the point, and ungracefully turned, as appears, amongst other instances, in the windows of the nave of Winchester, and in the old parts of Lichfield Cathedral; but those of the present period were universally well turned and duly proportioned: they were also invariably adorned with one or more cusps, on each side of the head, so as to form trefoils, cinquefoils, &c., as also with new invented and highly finished mouldings. The pediments raised over these, and other arches, were universally purfled; that is to say, adorned with the representation of foliage along the jambs, called crockets. Pinnacles, which had hitherto been rare and quite plain, were now placed at the sides of almost every arch, and on the top of every buttress, being invariably purfled, and ornamented with an elegant flower, called a finial. A pinnacle of a larger size being placed on the square tower of former times, as was the case at Salisbury, and elsewhere, became a spire. That bold feature of this style, the flying buttress, for supporting the upper walls of the nave, which had hitherto, for the most part, been concealed within the roof of the side aisles, was now brought to view, with suitable dressings, as an ornament. The window no longer consisted of an arch divided by a mullion or two, and surmounted with a single or triple circle, or quatrefoil, but was now portioned out by mullions and transoms, or cross bars, into four, five, six, and sometimes into nine bays, or days, as the separate lights of a window were called; and their heads were diversified by tracery work into a variety of architectural designs, and particularly into the form of flowers.-The plain niches of the thirteenth century, early in the fourteenth became gorgeous tabernacles-these tabernacles, as well as various other parts of the sacred edifice, were filled with statuary, which frequently exhibited equal spirit in the design and art in the execution. Finally, the ribs supporting the groined ceilings were no longer simple, intersecting

arches, but they branched out in tracery work of various devices, still more rich and elegant than that in the larger windows; and wherever these ribs met, they were tied together by an architectural knot, called a boss or orb, which generally exhibited some instructive device.'-pp. 155, 156.

Exeter Cathedral, and St. Mary's Church at Ely, and St. Stephen's Chapel, Westminster-afford the most remarkable examples of whole edifices in this style. But the best feature of this era of architecture is the beauty of its spires:

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'Before quitting this division of the subject it may be expedient to state that the spire, that graceful addition to a Christian church, which came into use during the first period of the pointed style, was now pretty generally adopted, and many very elegant specimens could be referred to which decidedly belong to this era. During the former period, the squat and massive proportions of the Norman tower were gradually departed from, and as our builders obtained a higher knowledge of the scientific principles of their art, they became more bold in design and more skilful in execution, and were thus enabled to construct edifices of a far more lofty and aspiring kind than those of their immediate predecessors. Hence the early English towers were carried up to a greater height than those of Anglo-Norman design, and as though still further to direct our thoughts heavenward," the tapering spire was superadded. The pleasing effect of this ornament, in breaking the monotony of straight lines and level ranges of buildings, is obvious to every observer; and four of our Cathedrals, in particular, may be named as instances in which both the home and the distant scenery of each respective city derive a very important and impressive interest from this feature; namely, Chichester, Salisbury, Lichfield, and Norwich. That of Chichester is supposed to have been erected in the latter years of Bishop Langton's prelacy, which lasted from 1305 to 1337: it is designed with much simplicity, and its proportions are good. Salisbury spire, that far-famed "wonder of the west," is unrivalled in England, both from its altitude and beauty of proportion: the ornaments are of a more advanced period than those of Chichester, and the tower from which it rises is most judiciously contrived, from its sculptured richness and elaboration of pinnacles, to give increased interest to the general effect. The three spires of Lichfield, called the three sisters, are peculiar in England, although there are similar examples in Normandy. Seen from the west, they form a beautiful group, and in every approach to the city, naturally attract the eye, and interest the imagination. The spire of Norwich cathedral was the earliest of the four, and is also the plainest: this is supposed to have been erected by Bishop Walpole, about the end of Edward the First's reign.'— pp. 167, 168.

The last, or Florid-Pointed order, commencing with the reign of Richard II. extended to that of Henry VIII-a period also of about a century and a half-until an over-wrought elaboration of magnificence brought the whole style into disrepute, and produced the "decline and fall" of this entire system of architecture. The Florid-Pointed style, however, needs little illustration for a public familiar with the gorgeous beauties of the chapels of King's Col

lege, Cambridge, St. George's, Windsor, and, above all, Henry VII. Westminster. Here the depressed, or obtuse arch, with its endless mouldings, the lofty and fretted roof, the exuberant details of enriched pannelling, embossed niches, and heraldic sculpturing, all bespeak the very wantonness of decoration; but the superb fanlike and pendent tracing, which overspreads the vast vault of this last chapel, is certainly an unparalleled prodigy of scientific daring

and art.

But, to our minds, the most pervading grandeur of ecclesiastical architecture, and its deepest influence upon the imagination, are not to be found in the luxuriant vaulting of these later structures. This pointed style, in its sumptuous cultivation and rapid maturity, hastened to its corruption: for, as it has been well said, arts appear to have, like individuals, their natural progress and decay. The pointed style we should consider, for ecclesiastical purposes at least, to have reached its highest pitch of excellence at the instant of its transition to the second or decorated variety. For the hall of the castle-palace, the chapter-house of knighthood, or the banquetting chambers of regal state, the prodigal exuberance of the florid order may offer its appropriate magnificence. But this splendour-the splendour of the chapels of St. George at Windsor, and King Henry at Westminster-is not the beauty of holiness; nor does it excite the same thrilling emotions of pious veneration, which steal over the mind in the quiet solemnity of Winchester and Salisbury. We are enthusiasts in admiration of the religious architecture of the middle ages: we hold it worth an age of everyday feelings to lose ourselves for an hour in that silent adoration of the heart, that mysterious influence of awful associations, which presses upon the spirit in the over-arching but translucent gloom of the elder cathedrals. But it is only in these earlier edifices that the solemn purposes of the structure are undisturbed by excessive ornament in the florid order, the silent and sacred influence of the place is destroyed, just as the lengthened and mellow shadows thrown by the deep mouldings of the more ancient style, are here lost in the glare of sunshine that plays and floats over the frittered and shallow tracery.

ART. VI. The Literary Souvenir; or, Cabinet of Poetry and Romance, for 1827. Edited by Alaric A. Watts, Esq. 12mo. pp. 402. 12s. London. Longman and Co., and J. Andrews.

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THOUGH Mr. Watts cannot claim the merit of originating that class of annual publications, to which The Literary Souvenir' belongs; yet we think that it is to his superior acquirements and taste, we are mainly indebted for the degree of perfection, to which those elegant productions have recently attained. In the two volumes which he has already published, his own poetic powers and those of his numerous and distinguished auxiliaries have appeared to

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