and Cissa," says the chronicle, "beset Anderida[7] and slew all that
were therein, nor was there afterwards one Briton left," and overran
the coast, establishing the kingdom of the South Saxons, or Sussex.
Then Cissa, having captured the old Roman city, made it the capital of
his kingdom, calling the place _Cissan-caestre_, or the fortress of
Cissa, now corrupted to Chichester. This was at the close of the fifth
century. Shut in by the great forest of Anderida, these South Saxons
retained their Paganism long after the advent of Augustine and the
conversion of other parts of the country. St. Wilfrid was shipwrecked
on their coast, but they fiercely attacked the crew of the vessel,
which escaped with difficulty from the perilous coast owing to the
prayers of the saint. Thirty years later he returned and converted
them to Christianity. A famine raged owing to long draught. He taught
them to fish in the sea, and so won their confidence, and on the day
when their chiefs came to be baptised rain fell and the famine ceased.
The Island of Selsey or Seal's Island was given to the saint, where he
founded a monastery and became the first bishop of the South Saxons.
Until the conquest Selsey remained the seat of the bishopric. The last
Saxon prelate, Ethelric, though he was a learned, and moreover a very
aged man, received harsh treatment from William I. He was deprived of
his bishopric and imprisoned. Then came Stigand, who moved the
bishop's throne to Chichester, and made the minster Church of St.
Peter's Monastery his Cathedral. The waves of the sea now roll over
the site of the Early Saxon church. Ralph de Luffa, the third Norman
prelate (1091-1123), began the building of the present Cathedral. Fire
played havoc with the newly-erected church in 1114, four years after
its completion, but Ralph again set to work to restore it. It was
consecrated in 1148, twenty-five years after his death. He was a noble
bishop, and accomplished much for his diocese and for the Church of
England in the time of the tyranny of Norman kings. Fire again raged
in 1186, which prepared the way for the alterations and improvements
of the transitional builders who were developing the beauties of
English Gothic. Bishop Seffrid, the second who bore that name, was the
director of the work, which shows the purist style of the twelfth
century. The triforium, the upper storey of the western towers (the
present north-west tower is a modern imitation of the south-west
tower) and the lower storey of the central tower are mainly his work.
This bishop had the doubtful honour of crowning King John. Bishop
Neville (1224-1244) designed and began to build the spire, and the
Lady Chapel was partly constructed by Bishop Gilbert de St. Leofard
(1288-1304). John de Langton, bishop (1305-1336), who was a skilful
architect, finished the retro-choir and the south wing of the
transept. By this time the Cathedral had assumed much of its present
form. The apsidal chapels in the choir had been made to assume the
more English form of square-ended buildings. The thirteenth-century
bishops who accomplished all this excellent work were remarkable men.
Bishop Simon Fitz Robert (1204-1207) obtained many benefactions for
his see, and grants of stone from the Isle of Purbeck for the
beautifying of his church. Richard Poore, the noble builder of
Salisbury, was here for two years, and Bishop Neville worked hard
during his episcopacy for his church, and built a palace for his see
in London which stood on the site of Lincoln's Inn. St. Richard de
Wych was an excellent bishop (1245-1253), who reformed his diocese
with some severity, and ordered his flock to contribute liberally to
the building fund of his Cathedral. "St. Richard's Pence" afterwards
became a fruitful source of income. Bishop Gilbert de St. Leofard
followed in his steps, and, as we have said, built the main parts of
the Lady Chapel, which is of Decorated style. The work of the
fourteenth century was rather that of adornment than of construction.
We find Bishop Langton (1305-1337), the suppressor of the Templars,
inserting a beautiful window in the south transept, and building the
chapter-house. A little later a noble reredos was erected behind the
altar, the choir stalls added, and some changes made in the window
tracery. The founder of Merton College Library, William Read, was
bishop here in 1369-1385. Lollardism was rampant in the diocese, and
Bishop Robert Rede (1397-1415) took strong steps to uproot the
obnoxious teaching. The beginning of the fifteenth century saw arising
the detached bell tower, called Raymond's Tower, the only existing
detached belfry in the kingdom. Some of the Bishops of Chichester at
this time fared ill. Bishop Moleyns (1446-1450), who helped Henry VI.
to marry Margaret of Anjou, was murdered by some sailors at
Portsmouth, and his successor, Peacocke (1450-1459), was tried on
account of his supposed heretical opinions and deprived. Bishop Storey
(1478-1503) was the builder of the famous Market Cross and the Grammar
School. Bishop Sherbourne (1508-1536) who favoured not the "new
Religion," employed the Bernardi, an Italian family who had previously
settled in Flanders, to decorate his church, and we shall see some of
their work in the Cathedral. Then came the trouble of the Reformation
period, when altars were destroyed, shrines pillaged of their gold and
ornaments, and the whole church ransacked of its treasures. Further
spoliation and destruction were wrought by the Parliamentary soldiers
under Waller, who "plundered the Cathedral, seized upon the vestments
and ornaments of the church, together with the consecrated plate
serving for the altar; they left not so much as a cushion for the
pulpit, nor a chalice for the Blessed Sacraments; the common soldiers
broke down the organs, and dashing the pipes with their poleaxes,
scoffingly said, 'Hark, how the organs go!' ... On the Tuesday
following, after the sermon, possessed and transported by a
Bacchanalian fury, they ran up and down the church with their swords
drawn, defacing the monuments of the dead, hacking and hewing the
seats and stalls, and scraping the painted walls. Sir William Waller
and the rest of the commanders standing by as spectators and approvers
of their barbarous impieties." Bishop King was prelate at this time;
his palace and goods were destroyed, and he was treated with cruel
indignity. In the seventeenth-century the north-west tower fell, and
the central tower was so insecure that the upper part of the spire
was removed and rebuilt by Wren. Since then several attempts at
reparation have been made. At length in 1860 a terrible disaster
befell, and the central tower and spire collapsed. It was rebuilt by
Sir G. Scott with much care, and may be said to be an exact copy of
the old, and in addition to other improvements the north-west tower
has been rebuilt.
[Illustration Chichester]
THE EXTERIOR
The best views may be obtained from the city wall to the north, also
from West Street and East Street, and a fine distant prospect is
observed from the Goodwood Downs. We will begin our inspection as
usual with the _West Front_, which consists of a gable with windows
and porch, flanked by two towers. The upper part of the north-west
tower is a recent construction, made in imitation of the south-west
tower, and built on the ruins of the former tower. The south tower is
of Norman workmanship, the upper part being Early English, and also
the plain and heavy buttresses at the south-west corner. The basement
and next storey are part of the original work of Bishop Ralph, and the
rest of Bishop Seffrid II. The west porch is plain and deep, with
double buttresses at the corners. The doorway consists of a wide arch,
under which are two smaller ones divided by a single clustered column.
These have been restored in imitation of the ancient design. The
interior of the porch is very beautiful Early English work, the
arcading of quatrefoils being very effective. The monuments have
evidently been placed there in later times. Above the porch are three
Early English windows, and above these a large modern window, and in
the gable are two small Early English windows. The cross above is
modern.
The _Bell Tower_, the only instance in England of a detached belfry,
though not unusual abroad, is a massive and plain building, 120 feet
high. The upper storey is octagonal and low, and resembles the great
west tower of Ely, but is much inferior. Both these towers were built
about the same time, at the beginning of the fifteenth century, and
are in the Perpendicular style. The north side of the nave exhibits in
the clerestory the round-headed windows of the original Norman church.
The parapet is fourteenth-century work. Flying buttresses connect the
clerestory with the outer wall. The windows of the chapels are Early
Decorated, and were erected during the reign of Edward III. One of
them is modern. The _North Porch_ is Early English work, and the
dog-tooth ornament is observable in the arches. It has a parvise. The
_North Transept_ on the west side has some of the original Norman wall
and Norman windows, and on the north end there are thirteenth-century
buttresses with octagonal turrets, a large window and a rose window
over it. On the east side there are some Early English windows.
Proceeding eastward we pass the Chapels of St. Edmund and St. John
Baptist, of Early English design, with some Perpendicular windows, the
same style prevailing in the presbytery. Flying buttresses support the
main walls. The old Norman church ended in an apse, and traces of the
curve can still be observed, and other remains of twelfth-century work
can be seen. Two of the windows are Perpendicular in style, but have
been much restored. The low Lady Chapel projects at the east end. Two
western bays are twelfth-century work, the two eastern bays being
added by Bishop Gilbert de St. Leofard at the end of the thirteenth
century, and are Late Decorated. Much restoration has been found
necessary here. Early English work prevails in the chapel on the south
side. The south wall of the choir aisle has several points of interest
and several styles of architecture are shown here. A consecration
cross can be seen in one of the bays. The south transept is very
similar to the north, and on the west of it is the sacristy. Norman
walls are on the north and east, and Early English on south and west.
On the south side of the Cathedral are the _Cloisters_, which are
curiously shaped. The Paradise is not square, the east walk being
longer than the west. These cloisters are fifteenth-century work,
having Perpendicular windows and flat roof. The south side of the nave
is interesting, and resembles somewhat the north side. The arches of
the windows in the aisles are Early Decorated, the tracery is modern.
In the fourteenth century the buttresses were strengthened and
enlarged, the parapet added. The Norman wall and windows remain in the
clerestory, though later tracery has been inserted in two of these.
The south porch leading to the west cloister has been much restored.
The doorway in the south-west tower is Norman, and is adorned with
chevron moulding, and beautifully designed. The window over it is also
of the same date.
THE INTERIOR
The interior is more imposing than the exterior. The best view is
perhaps obtained from north-east corner of the nave. The width of the
nave is the first peculiarity which we notice. It has double aisles on
each side of the nave, a peculiarity shared only with Manchester, and
some parish churches, such as Abingdon, Taunton and Coventry. There
are some grand effects of light and shade, and the nave is well
proportioned, and has a quiet dignity which is all its own. There are
eight circular arches, supported by seven flat piers, isolated and
flanked by half columns of cylindrical character with plain capitals
and cable moulding. Purbeck marble is extensively used in the
string-courses and capitals of the vaulting shafts. The triforium
preserves its Norman character. Here are the Norman circular arches,
containing two smaller arches resting on single shafts. The surface of
the stone in the head is hatched as at Rochester. There is a striking
analogy between Chichester and Peterborough, both in the nave and
choir. Both were destroyed by fire, and both rebuilt about the same
time. The main arcade and triforium are the work of Bishop Ralph de
Luffa (1091-1124).
Bishop Seffrid II. (1180-1204) rebuilt the clerestory, and made it
loftier than the triforium. The style is Early English. It will be
noticed that the middle arch of the windows is round and higher than
the side arches, which are pointed. The windows are separated by small
shafts of Petworth marble, and the capitals are carved with leaves of
palm trees. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and the
builders seem to have wished to express symbolically the threefold
nature of the Deity by the triplicity of the work. Triple clustered
shafts appear everywhere. The vaulting is of stone, and is a little
later than Seffrid's work. Alarmed by the fires, the architect
determined to build a stone and chalk roof instead of wood. In the
sixteenth century this vaulting was painted in gaudy colours by Bishop
Sherbourne.
Two storeys of the south-west tower are original Norman work, with
rude cushion capitals, and formed part of the first church finished by
Bishop Ralph. This is used as a baptistry, and has a modern font, an
imitation of that at Shoreham.
In the _South Aisle_ are the Chapels of St. George and St. Clement.
The latter has been restored in memory of the last good bishop,
Durnford. The figures placed in the old wall arcade are SS. Anselm,
Clement and Alphege. The old piscina and aumbrey remain, as also in
the other chapel. The chapels were added in the second half of the
thirteenth century. The _North Aisle_ resembles the south. Here were
the Chapels of St. Anne, St. Theobald or the Four Virgins, and SS.
Thomas and Edmund. The screen, pulpit and lectern are all modern, and
also the glass. The _monuments_ here are:--in the south aisle, Bishop
Durnford (1895), and Captain Cromwell (Flaxman); and in the north
aisle, Poet Collins, Richard Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel and his wife
[the earl was a supporter of the Duke of Gloucester, uncle of Richard
II., and was beheaded in 1397], an unknown lady, supposed to be
Countess of Arundel (1270). This tomb is of Decorated design, and is
beautifully executed.
[Illustration The Presbytery.]
The _North Transept_ was once the Parish Church of St. Peter the
Great. The main walls are part of Bishop Ralph's Norman church, and
there are Norman windows on the west and arches of the same style on
the east. These open into the old Chapel of St. John Baptist and St.
Edmund, which has now been converted into the _Library_. The north and
east walls are Early English, the vaulting is very beautiful, the ribs
being ornamented with zigzag. The library has some early MSS., but is
not particularly rich in its treasures. Entering the north choir aisle
we see the monuments of Bishop Storey (1503), the builder of the
Market Cross; Bishop King (1670), who suffered much from the
Parliamentary soldiers; Carleton (1685); Grove (1691); Otter (1840),
and an early slab of thirteenth century representing a heart burial.
Formerly an inscription could be deciphered which told in Norman
French: "Here lies the heart of Maud." At the end of this aisle is the
Chapel of St. Katherine. This eastern end of the aisle is all Early
English work. Here are preserved the paintings of the Bishops of
Chichester and Kings of England made by Bernardi, which were much
injured by the soldiers and restored by an indifferent artist. The
_Retro-Choir_ is early thirteenth century, and has a fine vault which
in style resembles that of some French churches. The piers are
curious, and the shafts are further detached from the main piers than
in any other known example. The capitals are most beautifully carved.
The triforium is ornamented with rich tracery and carving and
clustered shafts of Purbeck. It somewhat resembles Ely, the work of
Bishop Hotham in 1235. The clerestory is later. Here stood the
magnificent shrine of St. Richard, the glory of Chichester, and the
resort of pilgrims. This St. Richard de la Wyche, who was the friend
of Becket, died in 1245. He was remarkable for his zeal and charity.
On his death his body was found wrapped in a shirt of horse hair and
bound with rings of iron. Miracles being reported to have taken place
at his tomb, he was canonised. The _Lady Chapel_ in Norman times
extended two bays eastward, and was extended by two bays by Bishop
Gilbert de St. Leofard at the end of the thirteenth century
(1288-1305). It was formerly used as the library, and Willis speaks of
it as "having nothing to recommend it except a good collection of
books." The east window has five lights, and all the windows have been
restored. The vaulting is good and the fittings are modern. In the
vault is a beautifully-painted design by Bernardi (1519). The _South
Choir Aisle_ resembles the north. The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene is
at the east end, which has been restored. St. Richard's head was
preserved here as a precious relic. Some modern paintings here
represent scenes from the life of St. Richard and our Lord. Passing by
the door into the cloisters we see on the north the tombs of Dean Hook
(1875), and Bishop Daye (1552); and on the south, Bishop Sherbourne
(1536). Here are two carved panels of very early character, which
legendary lore tells were brought from Selsey when the bishop's stool
was transferred to Chichester. It is quite possible that they are
Saxon, and the style of art has a Byzantine appearance. The subjects
are the Raising of Lazarus and Our Lord at Bethany with Mary and
Martha. A door on the left leads to the vicar's vestry, and then we
come to the _South Transept_, which resembles the north. The walls on
both west and east are Norman. On the south is a very beautiful window
inserted by Bishop Langton (1305-1337), one of the finest Early
Decorated windows in England. The glass is modern and hideous. The
paintings here on the back of the choir stalls are interesting. They
are the work of Theodore Bernardi, an Italian artist, who settled in
Flanders and afterwards came to England, and with his son lived at
Chichester. Bishop Sherbourne employed him to decorate his Cathedral.
The paintings here represent the foundation of the see at Selsey by
Caedwalla, and the foundation of four prebends by the bishop and Henry
VIII. The soldiers much injured the paintings, which were restored by
Bishop Mawson, who employed an inferior artist and thus destroyed much
of their merit. The saintly Bishop Richard has a monument here. On the
east is the Chapel of St. Pantaleon, a Nicomedian martyr, which
retains its piscina. It is now used as the canons' vestry. On the west
is the entrance to the _Sacristy_, a large room, now used as a music
room, with a vaulted ceiling. Above this is the old consistory court
where heretics were tried. Lollards were often examined and condemned
here, and behind the seats there is a sliding door leading to what is
commonly known as the Lollards' prison. It was probably either a
treasury or evidence chamber. Langton's tomb, the builder of the
beautiful window, is below that fine structure. He died in 1336.
The _Choir_ is long and narrow and has been much restored. The design
is Early English, though much of the old Norman piers was retained.
The carving in the triforium is very beautiful. The screen is modern.
The stalls were erected in Bishop Sherbourne's time, and are of carved
oak and inferior to many. The dean's and precentor's stalls are new.
The old throne was much defaced by the soldiers under Waller. A new
one was given by Bishop Mawson (1740-1754) and this has given place to
a modern one. The reredos and altar are modern.
DIMENSIONS
Total length 393 ft.
Length of nave 155 ft.
Width of nave 90 ft.
Height of nave 61 ft.
Length of choir 115 ft.
Length of transept 131 ft.
Height of spire 277 ft.
Area 28,000 sq. ft.
BUILDING DATES
Norman (Twelfth Century)--South-west tower and part of west
front, piers of nave and triforium, part of transepts, parts of
walls of choir aisles and piers of choir, and parts of Lady
Chapel. The upper part of south-west tower late twelfth
century.
Early English (Thirteenth Century)--Remodelling of the nave and
choir, chapels, porches, and Lady Chapel begun.
Decorated (Fourteenth Century)--Retro-choir and south window in
south transept. Lady Chapel finished.
Perpendicular (Fifteenth Century)--Bell tower, choir walls,
paintings, cloisters.
Modern--Tower and spire and north-west tower.
FOOTNOTE:
[7] The modern Pevensey.
SALISBURY CATHEDRAL
Salisbury is one of the finest examples of Early English architecture
in England. It was built for the most part in one style and at one
period, and therefore does not present to us that varied
conglomeration of the art of different ages which we see in most of
our ecclesiastical edifices. The story of its building is full of
interest, and we must look for the original home of the Salisbury
diocese on the wind-swept fortified heights of Old Sarum, where Bishop
Herman fixed his episcopal seat in Early Norman times. The early
history of the sees of Southern England is somewhat complicated. When
the Story of the Cross was first proclaimed here, and the savage
Saxons became Christianised, the whole of Wessex and Sussex were
comprised in the see of Dorchester, a small village in Oxfordshire.
This huge bishopric was then divided into the two sees of Winchester
and Sherborne. Then Selsey (afterwards Chichester) was taken out of
Winchester, which diocese was again divided, and Ramsbury formed. Out
of the diocese of Sherborne, Wells and Crediton were constituted, and
then Bishop Herman in 1058 united the sees of Ramsbury and Sherborne,
and formed the diocese of Salisbury, fixing his seat at Old Sarum, the
Saxon town of Searobyrig. On this hill fortress seven prelates ruled,
amongst whom were the saintly Osmund (1078-1099), who completed the
first Cathedral, of which no stone remains, and compiled the famous
"Use of Sarum," the model of all service-books in the South of
England; Bishop Roger (1102-1107), a most powerful prelate and
castle-builder; Jocelyn de Bohun (1142-1184), the opponent of Becket;
Hubert Walter (1188-1193), a crusading bishop, the companion of
Richard Coeur de Lion; Herbert le Poer or Poore (1194-1216), and
then his brother or kinsman, Richard Poore (1217-1228), the founder of
the present Cathedral. Various reasons are assigned for the
transference of the see. Old Sarum lacked water. It was a lofty,
barren height, swept by every wind of heaven, and "when the wind did
blow they could not hear the priest say Mass." But the real reason was
the quarrel between the clergy and the soldiers who guarded the
castle of the king. On one occasion, when during Rogationtide the
ecclesiastics went in solemn procession to the Church of St. Martin,
on their return they found the gates closed against them, and had to
remain without shelter during a long winter's night. Similar insults
frequently being offered them, the bishop and his clergy determined to
seek a new home. Whither should they go? Legends tell us of the arrow
shot at random from the heights of Old Sarum, of the bishop's
mysterious dream, wherein the Virgin appeared and told him to seek for
the spot Moerfield, of his talking with the Abbess of Wilton, and
her reply that he had plenty of land of his own without seeking to
spoil her. At any rate the bishop gave the land for his new Cathedral
out of his own domain, and he began to build the stately edifice which
we now see. The first stones were laid on the feast of St. Vitalis,
April 28, 1220; one Elias of Dereham was the master-mason, and the
work progressed rapidly until Bishop Poore was translated to Durham in
1228. There his "Chapel of the Nine Altars" attests to the love of
building which he acquired at Salisbury, and the similarity of the
styles of architecture. His successors continued to build with much
zeal, and in the time of Bishop Giles de Bridport (1257-1262) the
church was consecrated by Archbishop Boniface, of Savoy, in the
presence of Henry III. and his court. The church was now complete.
Only forty-six years were spent in its building--a marvellous
achievement. The monastic buildings were begun by Bishop Walter
Delawyle (1262-1270). As yet the tower was not so high as it is now,
and there was no spire; but the fourteenth century had scarcely begun
before the two upper storeys were added, and the lofty spire, which
forms such a glorious crown of this beautiful structure. It was the
work of the mason, Richard of Farleigh, who was at the same time
engaged on work at Bath and Reading. In the time of Bishop Wyvil
(1329-1375) Edward III. granted permission to fortify the close, and
to use the stones from the Cathedral of Old Sarum for this purpose.
Hence in the walls which surround the close we see Norman carvings
which once adorned the ancient edifice. Of this Bishop Fuller says
that "it is hard to say whether he was more dunce than dwarf, more
unlearned or unhandsome, insomuch that Walsingham tells us that had
the Pope ever _seen_ him (as he no doubt _felt_ him in his large fees)
he would never have conferred the place upon him." His curious brass
tells of his recovering for his see the Castle of Sherborne and the
Chase of Bere, of which the bishopric had been wrongfully despoiled.
Prominent among its bishops was Robert Hallam (1408-1417), who was
present at the Council of Constance, which saw the burning of Huss and
Jerome of Prague, and strove hard to avert their fate. Bishop Ayscough
(1438-1450) was murdered by the rebel followers of Jack Cade at
Edingdon. Bishop Beauchamp (1450-1481) built the great hall of the
palace, and his chantry (destroyed by Wyatt). Here one of the unhappy
Woodvilles, brother of Edward IV.'s queen, was bishop (1482-1485), and
he had the unhappiness of seeing his brother-in-law, the Duke of
Buckingham, beheaded at Salisbury, just before the battle of Bosworth
(_cf._ Shakespeare's _Richard III._). Cardinal Campeggio was bishop
just before the Reformation, and after Wolsey's disgrace was deprived
of his see. There are no records to show what damage was done during
that stormy period, but probably the niches of the west front were
deprived of many of their images at this time, the windows broken, and
the treasury shorn of its plate and relics. One of the best of the
Salisbury bishops was Jewel, the author of the _Apology of the Church
of England_ (1560-1571), who built the library over the cloisters.
During the Civil War Ludlow's soldiers were quartered here, and
garrisoned the belfry, but they seem to have behaved with
extraordinary mildness. The Cathedral had powerful protectors, and
when some of Waller's men carried off some church goods, the
Parliament ordered that these should be restored. Bishop Seth Ward
(1667-1688), one of the founders of the Royal Society, did much to
repair his Cathedral, and restored the palace, which was ruinous,
having been bought by one Van Ling from the Parliament, and partly
converted into cottages. Unhappily the arch-destroyer, Wyatt, was
turned loose on the building at the end of the eighteenth century, who
wrought vast and irreparable destruction, which it is pitiable to see.
Since his day there have been many efforts to obliterate his work;
vast sums have been spent, and the Cathedral restored to much of its
ancient glory and beauty.
THE EXTERIOR
[Illustration Salisbury Cathedral]
As we enter the Cathedral precincts we are at once struck with the
wondrous beauty and charm of this peaceful close, which surrounds,
with its circling green sward, the magnificent Gothic pile. All
writers have vied with each other in singing the praises of this
grand achievement of Gothic art, and nowhere can we gain a better view
of the grand proportions of this church, with its noble spire, than
from the south-east or north-east corner of the close. Around us are
the venerable walls of the fortifications, erected in the time of
Edward III., who granted a license for this purpose, and gave leave to
the bishop to pull down the walls of Old Sarum, in order to provide
the stone. Embedded in the wall we find some stones with Norman
carving, which bespeak their former location in the Norman buildings
on the old stronghold of Sarum. The grand _Spire_ is the highest in
England (400 feet). The tower on which it stands is Early English as
far as the first storey; the two higher storeys were added in the
early part of the fourteenth century, and are Early Decorated. The
whole structure is magnificent. On each side there is an arcade,
richly canopied, and having double windows. At each angle there is a
turret, with a small crocketed spire, and from a mass of
richly-decorated pinnacles the great spire rises. In the capstone
still remains a small leaden box containing a fragment of decayed silk
or fine linen, doubtless a relic of the Virgin. The spire has
sometimes caused anxiety, and has been strengthened by metal bands,
but the Early English sub-structure has sustained with wonderful
constancy the weight of the two higher storeys and the spire which the
somewhat venturesome builders of the time of Edward III. forced them
to bear.