The east window of Jesus College Chapel, as seen from the Turl, might very well be supposed to be the work of the fifteenth century, if we judged by the design only. Oriel College Chapel, erected at the same time, is in very inferior taste. Specimens of fan-tracery vaulting of this period are numerous in Oxford, chiefly over the entrance porch or gateway of the colleges; but by far the most elegant and remarkable example is the vault over the staircase to the hall of Christ Church : this was built about 1640, as appears from the evidence of Wood, who was living at the time, and from the royal arms in the vault having Scotland quartered in them. The elegance of the design of this vault springing from the slender pillar in the centre is much and justly admired, but an examination of the details of the work shews that it is extremely shallow and poor; it is an evidence of how much may be done by good design even with bad detail.

In London, the hall of the Archbishop's Palace at Lambeth, and Middle Temple hall, recently copied at Lincoln's Inn, may be mentioned as good examples of this imitation.

Another attempt at the revival of Gothic was made in the time of Charles the Sccond; it was still less successful in the details, but even then many of the designs were good. There are many towers of this period of very good proportions, though of very clumsy details. The towers of Westminster Abbey may perhaps be cited as an instance, for although the detail is wretchedly bad, the general effect at a distance is good.

It is remarkable also that the chancels built at this period are as large and deep as those of any earlier

period; for instance, the chancel of Islip, Oxfordshire, built by the celebrated Dr. South. The idea of the divines of this period, under whose directions these churches were built, appears to have been that the chancel was the place for the celebration of the Holy Communion, and should bear the same proportion to the body of the church as the number of communicants to the whole congregation. These churches were also usually furnished with credence-tables and lecterns, many of which remain.

Even during the eighteenth century, when every kind of taste was at the lowest possible ebb, the people seem to have still retained a lingering wish for the imitation of Gothic forms, and many rude attempts may be seen in our country churches: and although the architects and builders considered it necessary to repress this taste, and make everything in the pseudoGrecian style, still the love for the Gothic would peep out here and there. The spire is essentially a Gothic feature, unknown to classical art; yet many spires were rebuilt, and even new ones built, during this period. The spire of All Saints' Church, Oxford, is a fine example; it was built, from the designs of Dean Aldrich, soon after 1700, and notwithstanding the purely Italian character of the building, there is a sort of Gothic tracery in the tower windows. The same curious and evidently unintentional mixture may be observed in the tower windows of the church of St. Clement Danes, Strand, which are of a common Gothic form.

Towards the close of that century arose the school of

b So called from the Italian credenza, a side-board.

Horace Walpole and Batty Langley, which, however ridiculous it may appear to us now, served to keep alive the taste for Gothic forms, and paved the way for the revival which has taken so glorious a start in our own day, and to the improved character of which "The Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture" has materially contributed, by acting on the minds both of the architects and of their patrons, and enforcing upon them the necessity for the careful study of ancient examples c.

The Oxford Architectural Society, established in 1839, was the earliest in the field, the Cambridge Camden Society was very nearly simultaneous with it, and the idea was rapidly taken up and followed subsequently in numerous other places, still it is only just to give Oxford the credit of having originated the movement. Upon the whole this movement has done much good, although accompanied by much evil, occasioned by the exuberant zeal of young men eagerly setting about the "restoration" of their churches before they knew the proper mode of doing it, and before either architects or workmen were prepared for the work. In consequence of this unfortunate haste, many valuable specimens of ancient art have been irreparably destroyed, instead of being carefully preserved as models for future ages.

The Oxford Society has recently (1860) changed its title to the "Oxford Architectural and Historical Society." The object of this change is to connect the study of architecture with that of modern history, which now forms part of the course of study pursued at the University. It is obvious, on a very little consideration, that the architecture of every people is an essential part of its history, although it has hitherto been entirely neglected by historians. As the Oxford Society is now under the patronage of the Professors of Modern History and of Ecclesiastical History, we may venture to expect that this long neglect will be remedied, and that the history of architecture will form a regular part of the studies of the University.

CHAPTER VII.

On the Foreign Styles.

THE close connection which has always existed between England and the Continent of Europe, and the habit of travelling for which the English people were distinguished from a very early period, could not fail to have considerable influence on their architecture, and it is in vain to contend for an exclusively English and isolated character for it. A great deal of the detail was developed and worked out at home, but new ideas were continually imported from abroad. The English Gothic is as thoroughly national as that of any other country; perhaps, from our insular position, it is even more distinct and independent than that of any other people. Still the influence of each age, the changes of each successive generation, participate in a certain general character everywhere throughout the civilised world. The style of the thirteenth century is distinctly marked above and through all national or provincial distinctions; these are all subordinate to the great principles of the epoch. The early period at which Englishmen began to travel is curiously illustrated by the fact recorded by Florence of Worcester, that in the year 1031 King Canute went to Rome and made some fresh arrangements with the Pope for the treatment of the English bishops when they went to Rome to receive their palls: he also took the opportunity of the chief princes of Europe being assembled there, especially Conrad, Emperor of Germany, and Rodolph, King of Burgundy, to make treaties with them to allow a free and unmolested passage to and from Rome through their dominions, for English travellers, whether ecclesiastics or merchants. These treaties appear to have been faithfully carried out, and to have led to the established custom which generally prevailed throughout the Middle Ages; and perhaps to the system of passports, which were at first a real protection to the traveller, though they have degenerated into a mere formality.

These frequent journeys of the most highly educated classes to Rome had a very beneficial effect on the arts, and especially on architecture. It was not merely what the bishops or merchants saw in Rome itself, but what they and their suite saw on their passage to and fro. Whatever was passing in any part of Europe,

whatever new inventions were discovered in any place, were sure to be speedily known and seen by these English travellers, and brought home for the benefit of their own country. Some went by one line, others by a different one. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries one great line of traffic was through the English provinces in the west of France, by Narbonne and the Mediterranean to Rome. Normandy was practically part of England from 1066. Anjou, Poitou, and Guienne, or Aquitaine, were added by Henry II. about 1150, and in this manner about a third of what now constitutes France was then part of the English dominions, and could not but exercise great influence upon art in England during the latter half of the twelfth century, the exact period of the great change of style. Another line was through Burgundy and by the Rhone to Marseilles. A third line was by the Rhine and the Alps, but this was only passable at certain seasons, and not much fre quented. That the custom of carrying a sketch-book in the pocket and bringing home sketches of all novelties in art prevailed from an early period, we have proof in the very remarkable Sketch-book of Wilars de Honecort, an architect of Picardy in the first half of the thirteenth century, which has been preserved, and has recently been published and admirably illustrated by M. Lassus and Professor Willis. There is no reason to suppose that Wilars was at all singular in this practice, and as the English architects had in this manner a much greater range of observation than those of other countries, the result to be naturally expected is greater perfection in their art, and to this they really attained.

The Gothic of England is more perfect, more pure, more systematic, better proportioned, more consistent, than that of any other country. The plan and the limits of this work do not allow of entering into this question in detail, but while tracing the gradual development of Gothic Architecture in England, we must bear in mind that our architects could never be ignorant of what was going on in any part of the continent of Europe, and never failed to avail themselves of such knowledge. Yet they never servilely copied any other country; they adapted the new features to their own style: there is no hiatus, no jump in English Gothic; the progress is always steady, gradual, almost imperceptible; it takes a generation to bring about the change from one style to another. They never stuck on pretty bits from France or Italy to their English buildings; they knew how to make use of the novelties that were