file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #cfeeb-;h4htm or #cfeeb-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#cfeeb_/pg#cfeeb-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#cf eeb_/cfeeb-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see http3_/_/www4archive4org_/details_/yorkm inster#jj;cust ,illustration3 ,york ,minster ,,york ,,minster by ,the ,very ,rev4 ,a4 ,p4 ,,purey-,,cust1 ,d4,d4 ,dean of ,york ,illustrated by ,alexander ,ansted ,london3 ,isbister ,co4 ,ltd4 #ae #af ,tavistock ,street ,covent ,garden ,,mdcccxcvii ,york ,minster ,ut rosa flos florum sic est domus ista domorum are the words which some unknown hand has inscribed upon the walls of our ,minster2 and we who love the habitation of ,his house and the place where ,god's honour dwelleth venture to think that these are words of truth and soberness even now1 though we remember that when they were written there were many features of art and taste adorning the great fabric which have long since passed away4 ,still ,york ,minster is a thing of beauty in spite of ruthless improvements and fanatical zeal and ,puritan ,philistinism and indiscriminating utilitarianism and ignorant restorations4 ,in spite of these1 and in consequence of these perhaps1 ,york ,minster is what it is2 and if we cannot recall all that tradition tells us once adorned its courts and enriched its sanctuaries1 we can admire and appreciate what has come into our hands1 and thank ,god that it is our privilege to worship in a house so worthy of ,his holy name4 ,yes1 and it is a pleasure and interest to recall the gradual development thereof through so many generations of men2 how it has come up like a flower1 from a very small and insignificant beginning1 putting forth gradually1 as time went on1 larger developments1 like the seed1 first the blade then the ear2 extending like the vine of old her branches unto the sea and her boughs unto the river--each with some fresh and characteristic novelty1 as affected by the different schools of architectural taste1 which1 like the different seasons of the year1 have shed their influence over it4 ,and we love to idealise the scenes which have taken place therein1 and the persons1 many not unknown to history1 who have had their share in the good work or whose lives and actions are associated therewith1 or to recall how1 sometimes in accordance with1 sometimes in opposition to1 what they most earnestly desired1 it1 at length1 far eclipsed the most sanguine anticipations of its founders1 and in its sober dignity and chastened ornamentation acquired a reputation second to none of the ,houses of ,god in the land4 ,it is1 of course1 a mere speculation1 but fancy will sometimes be busy with vain surmises as to whether the present ,minster is a development of the original ,british church1 a mere grain of mustard seed1 no doubt1 as compared with its aftergrowth4 ,but some primitive building did exist1 for1 as far back as the year #ahj1 ,beda tells us1 missionaries were sent from ,rome by ,eleutherius at the request of the ,british chieftain ,lucius1 not for the conversion of the people1 but to settle controverted points of differences as to ,eastern and ,western ceremonials which were disturbing the ,church1 and tradition speaks of twenty-eight ,british bishops1 one for each of the greater ,british cities1 over whom presided the ,archbishops of ,london1 ,york and ,caerleon-on-,usk4 ,so that the ,romans probably found a ,christian ,church already established when ,agricola took possession of ,eburacum1 towards the close of the first century after ,christ's birth1 and probably tolerated it with proud indifference for many generations until the great persecution of ,diocletian in #bid1 when ,constantius ,chlorus1 one of his associates in the empire1 was in command1 who1 ,eusebius says1 was nevertheless most liberal and tolerant2 though ,beda tells us of numbers of martyrs and confessors1 and how churches were thrown down1 while trembling believers fled for refuge to the wilderness and the mountains4 ,but certainly ,constantius professed himself favourable to ,christianity in #cje1 when he divided the empire with ,galerius1 and1 after reigning for a few months1 died1 and his body was probably burnt and buried here4 ,here1 at ,york1 his son1 ,constantine1 if not born1 was saluted as ,imperator by the army on his father's death1 and eventually deliberately adopted the ,christian faith4 ,illustration3 ,west ,front ,this would lead us to expect that favour would be shown to the ,christian ,church1 and tradition has handed down the names of several prelates of ,york about this date3 ,eborius1 who was present with two others at the ,councils of ,arles1 #cad1 and ,nicaea and ,sardica and ,ariminium2 ,sampson1 who was driven out of the city by the incursion of ,pagans and fled to ,st ,david's2 ,pyramus1 ,chaplain of ,king ,arthur1 that last tower of ,british strength1 and charged by him to restore the desolated and ruined churches2 and finally ,tadiocus1 who1 when he saw the armies of ,saxons pouring in1 joined ,theonus1 ,bishop of ,london1 and fled to ,wales1 whither1 as the ,saxons did not tolerate ,christianity1 they were followed by all those who desired to keep the faith in peace4 ,however1 in #eig1 ,augustine landed at ,ebbsfleet in ,kent1 and eventually converted and baptized ,ethelbert1 ,king of ,kent1 who had married ,bertha1 daughter of the ,frankish king1 ,charibert1 and in #fja1 ,pope ,gregory1 with a desire to assist ,augustine in his work amongst the ,anglo-,saxons1 sent over ,paulinus1 as a likely person1 should occasion offer1 to resuscitate the desolated ,church of ,northumbria1 and restore the ,metropolitan ,see of ,york4 ,it is said that ,paulinus was the ,latin title assumed by ,rum1 the son of ,urien1 a ,british chief1 who having opposed the ,saxons in the north had1 on their supremacy1 fled with his family from the country and sought safety at ,rome1 and that1 therefore1 ,augustine having endeavoured in vain to persuade the ,british clergy in ,kent to co-operate with him1 ,gregory selected ,paulinus as likely to be a useful coadjutor to him in the evangelisation of ,kent4 ,subsequent events1 perhaps unexpectedly1 favoured this plan1 for ,edwin1 the legitimate heir to the throne of ,northumbria1 being driven away by his brother-in-law1 ,ethelfrith1 who had usurped the crown1 sought for security and protection in other kingdoms1 and1 in his wanderings1 came to the court of ,ethelbert1 where he became fascinated by ,ethelburga1 his daughter1 and sought her for his wife4 ,assent was given on condition that she1 being a ,christian1 should be allowed ,christian worship1 and that he would consider the faith4 ,this he promised to do1 and ,redwald1 ,king of ,east ,anglia1 having slain ,ethelfrith in a battle near the sluggish waters of the river ,idle1 ,edwin was restored to his inheritance1 and proceeded to take possession of his kingdom accompanied not only by his wife but by ,paulinus as her chaplain1 who had been consecrated ,bishop of the ,northumbrians by ,justus on ,july #bast1 #fbe4 ,for two years ,edwin remained uninfluenced alike by the entreaties of his wife and the arguments of the bishop1 but at length gave way1 and on ,easter day1 ,april #abth1 #fbg1 he was baptized in a little church or chapel of wood1 hastily constructed at his bidding1 and dedicated to ,st4 ,peter1 right in front of the great heathen temple in the centre of his capital1 ,eburacum4 ,nothing is left of this primitive structure1 but the well is still pointed out from which the water used at the ceremony was drawn1 and a little beyond is a flight of stone stairs ending in a square stone slab which tradition says were the steps and altar of the temple4 ,there are still traces1 however1 of the stone church which ,archbishop ,albert built in its place 7#gda71 when it had been greatly injured by fire4 ,part of the herring-bone walls is still to be seen1 and after the great fire in #ahbi1 ,brown1 the antiquary1 successfully traced out the foundations1 which1 however1 are now concealed4 ,however1 it remained uninjured1 in spite of incursions of ,picts and ,scots1 until the ,conquest1 when it shared in the universal destruction meted out by the ,conqueror to ,york and the surrounding country2 and ,thomas1 the first ,norman archbishop1 found little left but a few tottering roofless walls which had survived the flames4 ,he re-roofed and restored the church as well as he could1 rebuilt the refectory and dormitory1 and in other respects set in order the affairs of the establishment4 ,and so it remained until ,roger de ,pont l',eveque succeeded to the archiepiscopate in #aaed4 ,langfranc1 on his accession to the ,see of ,canterbury in #ajgc1 had found the cathedral of ,christ ,church1 of which ,eadmer has left a curious record1 almost consumed by fire2 but in seven years he succeeded in rebuilding the whole church from the foundation on the plan and dimensions of ,st4 ,stephen's at ,caen1 the abbacy of which he had quitted to become archbishop4 ,a detailed and singularly precise account by ,gervase1 the monk1 is still extant4 ,on the death of ,lanfranc1 #ajhi1 the see was bestowed on ,anselm1 who as soon as possible took down the short choir and replaced it with one extending magnificently eastward1 provided with a crypt1 an apsidal aisle1 a processional path with flanking towers1 called ,st4 ,anselm's and ,st4 ,andrew's towers1 and radiating chapels1 as well as with eastern transepts1 all which was1 in fact1 an imitation of the great ,abbey of ,cluny1 entrusting the superintendence of the work to the priors ,ernulph and ,conrad1 eventually his successor1 who1 in #aaad1 completed the choir with so much magnificence that it was denominated the glorious choir of ,conrad4 ,all this1 however1 was destroyed by fire in #aagd1 which ,gervase himself witnessed1 but in four years was restored and even improved by the great ,french architect ,william of ,sens4 ,in #aaed1 when ,archbishop ,fitzherbert died at ,york1 this fair building must have been in the zenith of its beauty1 and we can well imagine the anxiety of ,robert the ,dean and ,osbert the ,archdeacon to secure the election by the ,chapter of ,roger1 who had been ,archdeacon of ,canterbury from #aadh1 and who had no doubt already given promise of that architectural ability and liberality of character which eventually made him the most munificent ruler that ever presided over the ,see of ,york4 ,becket succeeded him in the archdeaconry until #aafb1 when1 elevated to the ,see of ,canterbury1 the two quondam archdeacons of ,canterbury were at the very helm of the ,church of ,england4 ,illustration3 ,norman ,piers in ,crypt ,roger seems at once to have commenced the reproduction at ,york of this great work1 by substituting for the short simple chancel of the ,minster a complex eastern building which1 making due allowance for its want of equal dimensions with ,canterbury choir1 was yet evidently planned on the same system1 with the aisles square ended instead of apsidal1 and the flanking towers made to perform the part of eastern transepts4 ,of this choir1 portions only of the crypt still survive4 ,the base of the beautiful western entrance doorway to the north aisle can still be seen by adventurous explorers4 ,the ordinary visitor can still admire the substantial and elaborately incised columns1 which once supported the floor of the choir above1 and see the arches1 with the bold zigzag mouldings1 which once rested on them1 but which were removed in the days of ,edward ,i4 to support a stone platform behind the high altar1 on which was erected the shrine of ,william ,fitzherbert1 then canonised as ,st4 ,william of ,york1 to provide for the northern province a counter-attraction to ,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury4 ,if the arches were replaced on the piers the pavement of the choir would be #ae-a_/b feet above the pavement of the crypt1 within #f inches of that of ,canterbury1 and if the present nave floor were reduced #d feet to its original level1 the respective levels of the nave1 crypt1 and choir at ,york and ,canterbury would be the same4 ,no doubt the arrangement of the different flights of steps from the nave to the choir and to the crypt1 broken in the centre aisle with a broad landing which still remains at ,canterbury1 was followed at ,york4 ,but all this has passed away1 and the feature of the glorious choir of ,roger can now only be realised from the conjectures of the archaeologist or the dreams of the antiquary4 ,illustration3 ,the ,choir looking ,east ,but there were munificent laymen as well as ecclesiastics in those days1 for ,lord ,william de ,percy gave the church of ,topcliffe1 with all things pertaining1 to the church of ,st4 ,peter at ,york1 as a perpetual alms for the repairing and building thereof1 a gift which still remains in the possession of the ,dean and ,chapter2 and he and his successors continued to assist the development of the ,cathedral with munificent contributions of wood until the completion of the nave1 when his statue was placed1 to commemorate his liberality1 above the west door1 on the right hand of ,archbishop ,melton1 the ,metropolitan at that time4 ,on his left stands another figure commemorating equally liberal benefactors3 ,mauger le ,vavasour1 who gave a grant of free way for the stone required for the foundation of the ,minster by ,archbishop ,thomas2 his son1 ,robert le ,vavasour1 also gave #aj acres and half a rood of his quarry in ,thievesdale in free1 pure and perpetual alms2 and their descendants1 in like manner1 presented almost all the material required for the present buildings1 even as late as the great fire in #ahbi1 when ,sir ,edward ,vavasour1 although a ,roman ,catholic1 at once placed his quarries at the service of the ,dean and ,chapter for the restoration of the choir4 ,fancy would fain idealise the choir of ,roger1 which has passed away1 for the superstructure to such substantial and dignified masonry as still remains must have been solemn and imposing4 ,professor ,willis suggests a choir the floor of which was raised #ae feet above the floor of the nave1 and transepts with eastern towers approached by flights of steps such as still exist at ,canterbury1 but the learned professor had few reliable data for his conjectures1 and it must remain a conjecture usque ad finem4 ,geoffrey ,plantagenet1 who succeeded ,roger1 had not the opportunity1 even if he had the will and capacity1 to extend the buildings of the ,minster4 ,the youngest child of fair ,rosamond1 the lawful wife1 historians now tell us1 of ,henry ,,ii41 he was at least a loving son4 ,on his breast his father died1 to him the ,king gave his royal ring1 and on his head with his last dying breath he invoked the blessing of heaven4 ,but if his dutiful conduct caused the warm-hearted members of the ,chapter to elect their ,treasurer ,archbishop1 it did not conciliate either of his half-brothers1 ,richard and ,john4 ,sixteen years of incessant discord ensued1 and then he gave place to one more capable of his position1 ,walter de ,gray4 ,but the ,chapter did not at first think so4 ,he was not one of themselves2 they knew little of the ,bishop of ,worcester1 and what they knew they disliked4 ,he was1 in their eyes1 an illiterate person4 ,simon de ,langton was more to their mind4 ,but ,walter de ,gray was ,king ,john's friend1 and ,john was not a man to be thwarted4 ,he meant him to be ,archbishop1 and his representatives persuaded ,pope ,innocent ,,iii4 to overrule the election of the ,chapter4 ,at least1 he was a man of pure life1 they said4 ,per sanctum ,petrum1 replied the ,pope1 virginitas magna est virtus1 et nos eum damus vobis4 ,and certainly posterity has had no reason to regret his decision4 ,the glorious early ,english transepts and tower are believed to have been his conception1 vast beyond anything which had been erected in those days1 and1 as the late ,mr4 ,street has often told me1 after all his experiences on the ,continent1 unsurpassed in ,christendom4 ,walter de ,gray1 at least1 completed the south transept1 in boldness of arrangement and design1 and in richness of decoration without a peer4 ,and there his body rests in the grave which received all that was mortal of him on the vigil of ,pentecost1 #abee1 still surmounted with the effigy of the great man in full canonicals carved in ,purbeck marble1 under a comely canopy resting on ten light and graceful pillars1 hidden1 alas6 by a crude and modern screen of iron1 the well-intentioned addition of ,archbishop ,markham some eighty years ago4 ,illustration3 ,south ,transept and ,founder's ,tomb ,and ,providence had associated with ,walter de ,gray one worthy of such a fellowship1 ,john le ,romain1 the treasurer of the church1 an ,italian ecclesiastic who1 tradition says1 smitten with the charms of some dark-eyed beauty of the ,south gladly associated himself with the clergy of the ,church where celibacy1 at that day at least1 was not de rigueur4 ,he it was who completed the great work his superior had commenced1 raised1 at his own expense1 the great tower1 built the north transept1 designed the ,five ,sisters1 and filled it with the exquisite grisaille geometrical glass1 which has been the admiration of successive generations for six hundred years4 ,how much ,walter de ,grey laid out in the erection of the transepts ,i cannot say3 ,i only know that the ,south ,transept cost ,l#bc1jjj to restore fifteen years ago4 ,in addition to his work on the material fabric of the ,minster1 ,archbishop ,walter de ,grey achieved that which had a substantial influence on its progress to its completion4 ,archbishop ,roger had initiated the great work1 but had died in his bed1 and his influence had died with him4 ,thomas a ,becket1 his successor as ,archdeacon of ,canterbury1 had also advanced to the dignity of the archiepiscopate1 but he had fallen a victim to his zeal for the ,church spiritual1 and his martyrdom and canonisation had entailed a shrine in the ,cathedral which was eliciting from innumerable pilgrims munificent offerings for the fabric of the church4 ,if ,york were to compete with ,canterbury it was necessary that here1 too1 a shrine of some popular saint should attract the presence of the devout1 and appeal to their munificence and liberality4 ,this also ,walter de ,grey1 supported as he was by the king1 was able to accomplish1 and in compliance with a petition from the ,archbishop and ,dean and ,chapter1 ,pope ,honorius1 on ,march #ahth1 #abbf1 issued a letter1 tied with thread of silk and a ,bull1 to the effect that the name of ,william 7,fitzherbert7 of holy memory1 formerly ,archbishop of ,york1 nominated by them for this honour1 the predecessor of ,archbishop ,roger1 was inscribed in the catalogue of the ,saints of the ,church ,militant4 ,little1 however1 seems to have been done during the archiepiscopates of ,sewell de ,bovell1 ,geoffry de ,ludham and ,walter ,gifford4 ,however1 in #abgi1 ,william de ,wykewayne1 ,chancellor of the ,church1 was elected to the see1 and he at once took action by translating the remains of the canonised ,william1 on ,december #bith1 to a becoming shrine prepared for them behind the high altar on a platform raised upon the arches of the crypt removed to this1 their present1 position1 for that purpose4 ,it was a grand day in the ,minster4 ,edward ,i4 himself1 together with the bishops who were present1 carried on their shoulders the chest or feretory containing the precious relics to their new resting-place1 and ,anthony ,beck1 consecrated the same day ,bishop of ,durham1 paid all the expenses4 ,in #abhf1 ,archbishop ,wykewayne died1 and was succeeded by another1 ,john ,romanus1 the worthy son of the munificent treasurer1 who had doubtless inherited the taste and munificence of his father4 ,perhaps for that very reason the ,chapter selected him1 when only ,prebendary of ,warthill in the church1 to be his successor1 and his ten years of office1 if too short to do much1 was sufficient to initiate the great work of building a nave consistent with the transepts4 ,another style of architecture was setting in1 the ,decorated1 and where could it be better inaugurated than in such a church as this8 ,for one hundred and fifty years the good work went on4 ,four prelates in succession1 ,henry de ,newark1 ,thomas de ,corbridge1 ,william de ,greenfield1 ,william de ,melton1 each1 during his tenure of office1 strove to promote the completion of the grand design his predecessor had indicated1 in that full perfection of ecclesiastical architecture4 ,no effort was spared1 no personal self-denial evaded2 clergy and laity alike shared in the enthusiasm of the moment1 the ,plantagenet kings1 for the most part resident in ,york1 by offerings and by influence1 encouraging and stimulating the good work4 ,archbishop ,melton contributed many thousands of pounds from his own purse1 and had the privilege of seeing the grand conception completed2 and there he sits above the central doorway graven in stone in his archiepiscopal attire1 with his hand still raised in the attitude of benediction2 over his head one of the finest flamboyant windows in the world1 and on either side the representatives of the houses of ,vavasour and ,percy1 bearing in their arms emblems of the wood and stone which they had offered4 ,illustration3 ,the ,chapter ,house showing ,vestibule ,exterior ,and concurrently with the great work1 another1 in perfect harmony therewith1 was proceeding1 viz4 the ,chapter ,house1 with its great circumference occupied with stalls1 surmounted by elaborate and delicate canopies1 enriched with innumerable quaint and suggestive carvings of heads and features1 some as warnings1 some as encouragements1 to those who have eyes to see1 and of graceful foliage of trefoil and other plants1 specially the planta benedicta1 which illustrated the doctrine of the ,holy ,trinity and the love of ,god1 girdled with a simple yet emblematical wreath of the vine2 while the varied foliage rises again in the glass1 bordering the noble windows1 rich with heraldry and sacred subjects1 until lost in the stately roof1 which1 spanning the whole area without any central column1 and once glowing with emblematical figures and stars1 is centred with a majestic boss of the ,lamb of ,god4 ,alas that ,willement ever essayed to restore it1 scraped the paintings from the walls1 plastered the ceiling1 repaired the floor1 and ruined the east window which he had taken to pieces and found himself incompetent to put together again6 ,still1 though but the survival of its ancient glories1 it is the flower of our flowers1 the focus of all the beauties which in their wanton profusion extend on all sides around us4 ,who built it8 ,who conceived this stately hall1 with this elegant vestibule unique in the cloisters of ,europe8 ,who furnished the funds by which it was founded and completed8 ,well1 if conjecture may supply what faith or modesty may have left unexpressed1 ,bogo de ,clare1 for the shields in the tracery point to that family4 ,he1 an ecclesiastical courtier nearly related to the royal family1 and a not altogether worthy scion of the ,house of ,clare1 but wealthy beyond all conception with the plurality of his benefices1 which the late ,chancellor ,raine estimated at about ,l#bj1jjj per annum1 was treasurer of the ,minster from #abgd to #abhe4 ,a man probably not likely to do much to promote the devotion of the ,minster1 though ready to devote the vast accumulation of money which he had acquired to exalt the glories of the house of which he was a member1 and1 for the time at least1 the reputation of his name4 ,melton's days closed under the dark shadow of his defeat at ,myton by the ,scotch1 and ,zouche1 ,dean of ,york1 his successor1 though he wiped off the stain thereof by his triumphant victory over them at ,nevill's ,cross1 and took care of ,queen ,philippa and her children during the absence of ,edward ,,iii4 in his ,french wars1 did little to promote the material dignity of the ,minster1 save to build the chapel which bears his name1 and which he had intended for a place of sepulture for himself4 ,but ,thoresby1 a ,yorkshireman from ,wensleydale1 and a ,prebendary of the ,minster1 his successor in #aceb1 ,bishop of ,worcester and ,lord ,chancellor1 was a man of very different temperament4 ,he had the further development of the glories of the ,minster thoroughly at heart4 ,at once he sacrificed his palace at ,sherburn to provide materials for an appropriate ,ladye ,chapel1 gave successive munificent donations of ,l#ajj at each of the great festivals of the ,christian year1 and called on clergy and laity alike to submit cheerfully to stringent self-denial to supply the funds4 ,illustration3 ,chapter ,house doorway from within ,during his tenure of office of twenty-three years the ,ladye ,chapel was completed1 a chaste and dignified specimen of ,early ,perpendicular style1 into which the ,decorated gradually blended after the year #acfj1 and unique in its glorious east window #gh feet high and #cc feet wide1 still the largest painted window in the world1 enriched with its double mullions1 which give such strength and lightness to its graceful proportions4 ,but ,roger's choir1 which was still standing1 must now have looked sadly dwarfed between the lofty ,ladye ,chapel and the tower and transepts4 ,alexander ,nevill1 his immediate successor1 probably did not do much to remedy this1 for he soon became involved in ,richard ,,ii4's rash proceedings1 and had to fly to ,louvain1 where he died in poverty4 ,neither did ,arundel or ,waldby1 his successors1 for the former was soon translated to ,canterbury1 the latter soon died4 ,but ,richard ,scrope1 who was appointed in his place1 would naturally be earnest and vigorous in the good work1 for he was a ,yorkshireman by birth1 son of ,lord ,scrope of ,masham1 kinsman of ,lord ,scrope of ,bolton1 and1 during the short nine years which elapsed between his installation and his wanton1 cruel murder by ,henry ,,iv41 the building seems to have made rapid progress4 ,this was energetically continued by ,henry ,bowet1 who followed him1 and who1 invoking the aid of ,pope ,gregory ,,xii4 to enforce his appeal for funds1 and enlisting the aid of ,skirlaw1 ,bishop of ,durham1 one of the greatest architects of mediaeval times1 glazed the great ,east window with its elaborate glass executed by ,john ,thornton of ,coventry1 #adji1 raised the lantern on the central tower1 completed the groining of the choir aisles1 rebuilt ,archbishop ,zouche's chapel1 the treasury and vestry1 and commenced the library4 ,he was indeed a man of action to the end1 for when incapacitated for walking or riding by age and infirmity1 he was carried in his chair1 arrayed in a breastplate with three buckles1 five pendants1 and ten bars of silver gilt1 at the head of the forces raised by the wardens of the ,north of ,england1 and through the influence of his presence1 encouraged the soldiers to rout the ,scotch who had invaded ,northumberland and besieged ,berwick1 #adag4 ,illustration3 ,the ,lady ,chapel ,little now remained to be done4 ,robert ,wolvedon and ,john de ,bermyngham1 two munificent treasurers in succession1 helped to bring matters to a prosperous conclusion1 the former filling some of the windows with painted glass1 the latter raising the south-western tower4 ,the north-western tower was added probably during the archiepiscopate1 if not by the munificence1 of ,archbishop ,george ,nevill4 ,the organ screen1 with its elaborate cornice and canopies enriched with angels singing and playing instruments of music1 and its stately niches filled with figures of the ,kings of ,england1 from ,william ,i4 to ,henry ,,vi41 was built by ,dean ,andrew1 himself the friend and secretary of the last-named monarch4 ,and the great church was solemnly reconsecrated as a completed building on ,july #crd1 #adgb1 when an ordinance was passed by the ,dean and ,chapter that on the same day the feast of the ,dedication shall be celebrated in time to come4 ,illustration3 ,perpendicular ,piscina ,i have no space to dwell on all the innumerable details of architectural ornament or quaint mediaeval devices which decorate the walls1 neither on the many interesting monuments scattered throughout the aisles1 such as the delicate piscinas1 or the ,fiddler1 a modern reproduction of an old figure which had crowned the little spiral turret of the south transept1 intended as a portrait of ,dr4 ,camidge1 the organist1 at the beginning of this century2 or the tomb of good ,archbishop ,frewen1 the first prelate of the ,province after the ,restoration4 ,illustration3 ,the ,fiddler ,but even a sketch of ,york ,minster would not be complete without some mention of the glass1 for if the beauty in the form of our flos florum is due to its architecture1 very much of its beauty in colour depends on the glowing and mellowed tints with which its windows are filled4 ,but it is a large subject to enter upon1 for as regards quantity there are no less than one hundred and three windows in the ,minster1 most of them entirely1 and the remainder partly filled with real old mediaeval glass1 excepting the tracery4 ,some of the windows too are of great size4 ,the east window1 which is entirely filled with old glass1 consists of nine lights1 and measures #gh ft4 in height1 #ca ft4 #b in4 in width4 ,the two choir transept windows1 that in the north transept to ,st4 ,william1 and the south to ,st4 ,cuthbert1 measure #gc ft4 by #af ft4 ,they have both been restored1 the latter very recently1 but by far the greater part of them is old glass4 ,on each side of the choir the aisles contain nine windows measuring #ad ft4 #i in4 by #ab ft41 only the tracery lights of which are modern2 the same number of windows fill the clear-story above1 the greater portions of which are ancient4 ,the famous window of the north transept1 the ,five ,sisters1 consists of five lights1 each measuring #ec ft4 #f in4 by #e ft4 #a in41 and is entirely of old glass4 ,there are six windows in the north and six in the south aisles of the nave1 with only a little modern glass in the tracery4 ,the superb flamboyant window at the west end of the centre aisle measures #ef ft4 #c in4 by #be ft4 #d in41 and consists1 ,i believe1 entirely of old glass1 except the faces of the figures4 ,the clear-story windows are studded with ancient shields1 but a great part of the glass is1 ,i fancy1 modern2 those of the vestibule1 #h in number1 measuring #cb ft4 by #ah1 are of old glass1 including the tracery lights4 ,and in the ,chapter ,house the seven windows1 of five lights each1 are filled with old glass4 ,the east window has been clumsily restored by ,willement4 ,in the side windows of the transepts there is some old glass1 and the great rose window over the south entrance still retains much of the old glass2 while far overhead in the tower there are some really fine bold designs of late1 but genuine1 design and execution4 ,altogether1 according to actual measurements1 there are #be1eca superficial feet of mediaeval glass in the ,minster1 i4e41 more than half an acre--a possession1 we should think1 unequalled by any church in ,england1 if not in ,christendom4 ,but the difficulty in describing the glass arises from the fact that many of the windows are composed of fragments of glass of different dates1 which1 for various reasons1 perhaps to preserve them1 have been interchanged during past generations4 ,the educated eye of the glass painter can detect splendid specimens of every school of glass painting throughout the ,minster1 but sometimes comparatively small portions isolated in the midst of glass of a totally different period4 ,the ,five ,sisters window is an almost complete specimen of ,early ,english glass1 with an elaborate geometrical pattern formed by the conventional foliage of the planta benedicta1 but at the foot of the central light there is a panel consisting of distinctly ,norman glass1 portraying ,jacob's dream1 or ,daniel in the lion's den1 for it is indistinct1 and critics differ4 ,the suggestion is that this panel formed part of the previous window1 in the old ,norman transept1 and1 for some unknown reason1 being specially valuable1 was preserved and incorporated in its successor4 ,the tracery lights of the vestibule windows are filled with old ,norman glass1 and the late ,canon ,sutton was of opinion that the stone tracery had been specially designed to suit it4 ,the clear-story tracery in the nave contains also much ,norman glass1 probably from the old ,norman nave1 and in many other windows we can trace similar insertions4 ,illustration3 ,transept1 ,lantern1 and ,five ,sisters' ,window ,sometimes groups of figures may be noticed evidencing1 by their utter lack of connection with their environment1 that they have been transplanted from some other window4 ,sometimes a single figure1 under a ,decorated canopy1 stands out in a window of distinctly ,perpendicular tracery4 ,sometimes several of such figures fill separate lights when they have evidently been intended to be together4 ,sometimes kneeling figures1 each of which had been intended to represent the donor of some window1 have been brought together in a rather amusing and inharmonious fellowship4 ,sometimes the whole of some large figure has been removed1 and only the outline left1 which has been indiscriminately filled up with a patchwork of scraps of all kinds and subjects4 ,this is specially noticeable in the window on the north side of the choir1 where the letters ,r4,s41 in the bordure1 indicate that it had been put up to the memory of ,archbishop ,scrope2 here there are three large outlines of female figures1 each with a child in her arms1 one of them probably the ,virgin1 but all detail has been obliterated4 ,sometimes only a portion of a figure remains1 e4g41 a beautiful and venerable head and shoulders of some grave ecclesiastic in the most delicate mezzotint2 or a dignified face with splendid crown and nimbus1 and cope and pectoral cross adorning what remains of a saintly figure2 or a crowned head1 in a maze of painted fragments1 around which the initials1 ,e41 in the bordure1 evidently denote ,edward the ,confessor4 ,again1 there are legs only1 with the water flowing over the feet and the end of the staff which the hands had grasped1 evidently the remains of some grand figure of ,st4 ,christopher1 a very frequent and favourite figure in the church windows of ,york4 ,or1 again1 draped figures of ecclesiastics1 complete almost to the hem of their robes1 but destitute of feet1 which may be discovered in the tracery above1 where they have been utilised simply to supply some fracture4 ,sometimes heads and bodies1 which have evidently no real association1 are found united together4 ,the former occasionally the work of some modern painter1 who had attempted with his own brush to supply what was lacking4 ,this is manifestly the case in the west windows of the central aisle of the nave1 where the faces of the archbishops are evidently modern insertions1 and in the west window of the south aisle1 where a stately figure of our ,lord on the ,cross1 tended by little angels1 has been terribly marred by a most repulsive modern face1 which has been added4 ,but sometimes the head and body are both mediaeval1 but sadly incongruous1 for male faces are to be found on female shoulders1 and delicate crowned heads of virgins or angels on the stalwart bodies of men4 ,and similar confusion exists in many other details3 borders of different dates which have been pieced together1 or incongruous modern borders which have been devised to make up the space on each side of some smaller window1 which has been brought from some other church4 ,some of the windows1 indeed1 are almost1 if not altogether1 perfect4 ,the east window has been patched with pieces of crude coloured glass1 but only as repairs1 possibly after the great fire in #ahbi1 otherwise it must be very much as put up by ,john ,thornton1 #adje2 and in its nine lights divided into six tiers1 it contains two hundred panels of groups of figures1 the two upper tiers being subjects from the creation of the world to the death of ,jacob1 the remainder from the book of ,revelation4 ,the tracery lights of the east window of the north aisle seem to me altogether untouched4 ,illustration3 ,the ,north ,aisle ,the choir transept windows have been restored1 but contain a large portion of the old glass in five lights4 ,that on the north side1 erected by some member of the family of de ,ros1 has one hundred panels of groups of figures illustrating the life of ,st4 ,william1 that on the south1 erected by ,langley1 ,bishop of ,durham1 seventy-five similar panels illustrating the life of ,st4 ,cuthbert4 ,the grand series of windows in the vestibule also seems to me absolutely untouched since the day when they were first put up1 and1 with their figures of kings and queens and borders of ,plantagenet badges1 contain very striking specimens of the best date of painted glass4 ,the windows on the north aisle of the nave1 no doubt erected soon after its completion1 are equally perfect1 and were probably presented by members of the court of ,edward ,i4 ,the window next to the transept given by ,peter le ,dene1 the court ecclesiastic and tutor of ,edward ,,ii41 when ,prince of ,wales1 has six illustrations of the life and martyrdom of ,st4 ,catherine1 step-niece of ,constantine the ,great1 and therefore a very acceptable subject to the people of ,york4 ,it is adorned1 moreover1 with the shields of the immediate relations of ,edward ,i41 while the border of the central light contains figures in tabards emblazoned with the arms of some of the principal nobility of the day4 ,the next window1 presented by ,richard ,tunnoc1 the bell-founder1 has three illustrations of the entrance of ,st4 ,william to ,york1 and two of the founding of bells1 while peals of gold and silver bells are spread in profusion throughout it1 and the worthy bell-founder himself kneels at the foot of the central light presenting his window to the ,archbishop4 ,the next window1 from its quaint border of birds and animals1 seems to be the offering of ,brian ,fitz,alan1 ,lord of ,bedale1 who treated with good-humoured banter and ridicule the dilemma caused at the siege of ,caerlaverock by banners emblazoned with similar coats of arms being displayed by ,hugh ,poyntz and himself4 ,and the window beyond was evidently given by some member of the family of ,clare4 ,on the opposite side the glass is more mutilated1 and it is difficult to trace the subject in some of the windows4 ,one1 however1 conspicuous with the lions of ,edward ,i4 and the castle and dolphin of ,blanche of ,castile1 in compliment to her great grand-daughter1 his second wife1 is believed to have been presented by ,archdeacon de ,maulay1 when his friend1 ,anthony ,bek1 was consecrated ,bishop of ,durham here in the presence of the king4 ,at the foot of the window the figures of his brothers1 gallant knights in those days1 bearing their shields above their heads1 may be still traced on close examination4 ,splendid figures of ,st4 ,lawrence1 ,st4 ,christopher1 and another fill the lights of the next window4 ,the glass in all the windows is good and probably coeval with the building1 though much of the tracery glass is modern and bad1 the work of ,william ,peckett1 a glass painter of some local repute1 who1 at the close of the last century1 undertook to restore the glass of the ,minster4 ,it is difficult to accord the measure of praise and blame to which he was entitled1 for certainly1 on the one hand1 we are indebted to him for preserving many fragments which otherwise would have been lost1 and yet1 on the other1 we cannot but condemn the strange medley of groups and figures1 heads and bodies1 together with large diapers of bright and coarse designs to fill up vacant spaces1 which are evidently his work1 and1 in some instances1 sadly inharmonious with the rest of the window4 ,the single figures in the south window of the south transept are specimens of what he could do1 and if lacking in artistic treatment of form and drawing1 are not altogether defective in colouring4 ,but we have much to be thankful for1 for the elaborate ,,ms4 account of the ,minster1 written by ,torre1 the antiquary1 in the reign of ,james ,,ii41 shows us that we have lost very little of what existed in his day2 and it is marvellous to think that so much should have survived not only the mistaken zeal of would-be preservers and restorers1 but the flames of the terrible fires1 one of which consumed the woodwork and roof of the choir in #ahbi1 and the other burnt off the roof of the nave in #ahdj4 ,we could wish that we knew something more definitely about the glass painters of the ,minster4 ,the fabric rolls tell us nothing before the fourteenth century1 and are rather tantalising than satisfying afterwards4 ,as early as #acch ,thomas de ,boneston covenants by indenture to glaze two windows at his own proper cost1 find all the glass1 pay the workmen their wages for the finishing thereof1 and ,thomas de ,ludham1 the custos of the fabric1 became bound to pay him twenty-two marks sterling for the same4 ,another indenture of the same date was made between ,thomas de ,boneston and ,robert3 for making a window at the west gable of the cathedral church1 the said ,robert is to find all sorts of glass and be paid #f;d4 per foot for white and #ab;d4 per foot for coloured glass4 ,in ,archbishop ,melton's register of the same year1 the ,archbishop pays to ,master ,thomas ,sampson #ajj marks for glasswork of the window at the west end of the church lately constructed--i4e41 the great west window4 ,in #acfa ,agnes de ,holm leaves #ajjs4 to the fabric for a glass window containing figures of ,st4 ,james the ,apostle and ,st4 ,catherine4 ,in #acga the name of ,william de ,auckland appears as ,vitriarius1 and it would seem that the ,dean and ,chapter always maintained such an official1 with a working staff to execute what glass might be required4 ,from time to time great stores of glass and lead seem to have been accumulated1 and there are constant entries of expenses occurring in wages and materials1 e4g41 white glass for the great windows of the new choir1 coloured glass1 old coloured glass1 glass of small value4 ,in #adjj ,john ,burgh seems to have been the glazier at #bgs4 #e;d4 per annum1 with ,robert1 his assistant1 at #bes4 ,in #adai ,john ,glasman1 of ,ruglay1 supplies three sheets of white glass4 ,john ,chambre is glazier in #adba4 ,in #addc1 ,thomas ,schirley with his assistant ,william2 ,thomas ,cartmell in #addd2 ,matthew ,pete with two assistants1 ,thomas ,mylett and ,william ,cartmell1 in #addg2 ,matthew ,pete in #adef1 when he seems to have employed several assistants1 ,thomas ,clerk1 ,thomas ,shirwynd1 ,thomas ,coverham1 ,william ,franklan1 ,robert ,hudson1 c41 with much expenditure for yalow glass1 c42 ,john ,pety1 #adgb2 ,robert ,pety1 #aeji1 the last member of a family which had long filled the office4 ,richard ,taylor supplies two chests of ,rennyshe glass in #aecj2 ,william ,matthewson1 of ,hull1 twenty-two wisps of ,borgandie glass2 and in #aech1 one cradle of ,normandie glass4 ,the indenture with ,john ,thornton for glazing the great east window is still extant2 he is to complete it in three years1 pourtray with his own hands the histories1 images1 and other things to be painted on the same4 ,he is to provide glass and lead1 and workmen1 and receive four shillings per week1 five pounds at the end of each year1 and1 after the work is completed1 ten pounds for his reward4 ,little enough it seems to us2 but the system was very different from that which prevails now2 yet certainly the result which it produced justified the system1 whatever it was1 for1 admitting that length of time and atmospheric influences may have toned and mellowed the colouring1 there are evidences of craftsmanship in the designing and production of those days1 which the best workmen of our own time have been ever ready to acknowledge1 and before which they have been willing to pay generous homage4 ,illustration3 ,,acceptus ,,frewen qui inter vivos esse desijt ,mar #bh ,,ad #affd ,truly1 at the ,reformation1 the building must have been flos florum1 enriched with everything which the taste of man could devise or his skill execute4 ,the massive walls1 fashioned according to the highest canons of ,early ,english1 ,decorated1 and ,perpendicular architectural taste1 the great windows glowing with painted glass of each successive style1 the vast area subdivided by stately screens of carved wood and stone into countless chapels and chantries2 shrines glittering with offerings of precious and jewelled metals1 and adorned with colour and gilding2 the treasury stored1 as the fabric rolls tell us1 with gold and silver plate in rich profusion2 vestments of the most costly fabrics and approved fashions4 ,exuberant in all that was of the earth earthy2 but1 ,i am afraid1 sadly lacking in those inward and spiritual graces of which these should have been the outward and visible signs4 ,history may not be impartial1 perhaps not altogether accurate1 and mixed motives may have animated those who dealt vigorously1 not to say ruthlessly1 with these things4 ,but too many records remain to show us that cleansing fires were needed1 and that1 however depraved the instruments1 however debased their motives1 the work which they did was imperative1 if ,christian faith and life1 and the worship of ,god in spirit and in truth were to flourish and abound in this our fatherland4 ,nor need we indulge in unavailing regrets4 ,it is impossible not to wish that much which has been ruthlessly destroyed had been spared1 and that many things of beauty could be recovered4 ,we could wish that the unhallowed fingers which hesitated not even to rifle the very graves1 had been checked1 that the fires of #ahbi and #ahdj had not swept over the choir and nave2 but enough survives to gladden eye and heart with the noblest evidences of mediaeval work and taste1 and tokens on every side abound to testify that1 in these latter days1 ,yorkshiremen have been as ready to repair the decay of age1 restore the ravages of fire1 and support the glory and dignity of ,god's house as ever they were in days gone by4 ,we walk about our ,zion and go round about her and tell the towers thereof1 and they speak to us of a living faith1 not of an effete ecclesiasticism or of mere archaeological interest4 ,we rejoice that it is still emphatically a house of prayer1 not only when two or three are gathered together1 but when its aisles are thronged with a vast multitude1 uniting in some special act of prayer and praise1 or listening to some eloquent exponent of the ,gospel of peace2 and when through the long drawn aisle and fretted vault the pealing anthem swells the notes of praise1 we lift up grateful hearts in devout unison1 that we are permitted to worship ,him in this ,his house on earth1 and desiring that we may be permitted to attain to the building of ,god1 the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens4 ,illustration3 ,perpendicular ,shell-,ornament ,piscina ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,london ,edinburgh