'down a considerable portion of the nave,* as far as the large stone rood loft, shewn in the engraving, which will be ascended by two stone staircases immediately behind the prior's and subprior's stalls. This roodloft is supported by three open arches, the two side ones containing stone altars, surmounted by paintings and other enrichments. The custom of placing altars in the rood screens, which is exceedingly ancient, originated in the monastic churches: we are not aware of existing instances where they occur in any other. The reason is obvious: as the people were entirely excluded from the eastern portion of the church, and confined to that part of the nave which remained between the rood loft and the western end, the monks naturally resorted to this expedient for administering the consolation of the holy sacrifice to such of the faithful as might visit their churches through devotion. It may be further remarked, in support of this reason, that these altars are found only in such of the churches and cathedrals as were either originally monasteries, as Peterborough, Gloucester, St. Alban's; or were served by monks, as Durham and Norwich. The rood screen and altars of Durham have perished; but the annexed note† will

* Examples of these are yet to be found at Westminster, Gloucester, Winchester, Tewkesbury, St. Alban's, and Norwich.

+ "In the body of the church, between two of the highest pillars supporting the west side of the lantern, opposite the choir door, was Jesus' altar, where Jesus' mass was sung every Friday in the year, and on the back-side of the said altar was a high stone wall, at each end whereof was a door, which was locked every night, and called the two rood doors, for the procession to go forth and return at; betwixt the two doors was Jesus' altar, placed as aforesaid, and each end of the altar was closed up with fine wainscot, like to a porch, adjoining to each rood door, finely varnished with red varnish. In the wainscot, at the south end of the altar, were four great almeries, to preserve the chalices and silver cruets, and two or three suits of vestments, and other ornaments belonging to the said altar, for holy and principal days; and at the north end of the altar, in the wainscot, was a door to come into the said porch, which was always locked. There was also standing against the wall a most curious fine table, with two leaves to open and shut; comprehending the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, richly set in fine lively colours, all like burnished gold, as he was tormented on the cross; a most lamentable sight to behold; which table was always locked but on principal days. Also the fore part of the said porch, from the utmost corner of the porch to the other was a door, with two broad leaves to open from side to side, all of fine thorough carved work; the height was somewhat above a man's breast, and the upper part stricken full of iron spikes, so that none should climb over; which door hung all on gimmers, and had clasps on the inside to fasten them. And on principal days, when any of the monks said mass at the said altar, then the table standing thereon was opened, and the door with two leaves that composed the fore-part of the said porch was set open also, that every man might come in and see the table in the manner aforesaid.

enable the reader to understand their ancient position in that noble church. We believe that at Norwich Cathedral, since the improvements in the choirs, all traces of the altars which stood on either side of the choir door have disappeared; but a few years since the outline of the altars and the reredoses themselves were most distinctly marked. At St. Alban's the screen across the nave is called St. Cuthbert's: the altar, as at Durham, stood in the centre, with a doorway at each side, leading into the choir; and there is every reason to suppose a similar screen formerly existed at Romney Abbey. The arrangement of the rood screen, as shewn in the plate, is therefore quite correct for a monastic church; the depth of the arches under which the altars are placed, is considerable; and, with the staircases, this loft will occupy one bay of the nave in width; above the screen, the rood* will be fixed with the

"There was also in the height of the wall, from pillar to pillar, the whole story and passion of our Lord, wrought in stone, and curiously gilt; and also above the said story and passion, there was the whole story and picture of the twelve apostles, very artificially set forth, and finely gilt, extending from one pillar to the other; and on the top, above all the aforesaid stories, was set up a border artificially wrought in stone, with marvellous fine colours, and gilt with branches and flowers; insomuch that the more a man looked on it the more was his desire to behold it; and, though in stone, it could not have been finer in any kind of metal. And likewise on the top of all stood the most famous rood that was in all the land, with the picture of St. Mary on one side, of our Saviour and St. John on the other; with two glittering archangels, one on the one side of St. Mary and the other on the other side of St. John. So that for the beauty of the wall, stateliness of the picture, and the liveliness of the painting, it was thought to be one of the grandest monuments in the church." Antiquities of Durham Abbey, pp. 35-6. The altar, rood, and images, were all demolished and defaced in the reign of Edward the Sixth, and the screen itself was destroyed soon after.

* A very curious account is given in Peck's "Stamford," chap. iv. p. 3, illustrative of the antiquity of roods. It refers to the sacking and plunder of the monastery at Burg, A. D. 1069; and it appears that on the robbers effecting an entrance into the church, they got up to the rood, and took away a crown from our Lord's head, a crown made entirely of gold. From this description we not only gather the existence of a rood set up in a high place in the church, but also that the image on the same was one of those mystical representations of our Lord, as a king vested in royal robes, fastened to a rich cross, which were frequent in early times; and the miraculous crucifix still preserved in the second chapel on the gospel side of the nave in Amiens cathedral, is of this style. This conventional manner of treating the sublime and overpowering mystery of our Lord's sacrifice on the cross, is truly beautiful; and it will probably be revived ere long, with many other long-forgotten but profound and admirable conceptions of the Middle Ages. The cross itself was treated from the earliest times as an emblem of glory. Hence, whether it was carved on sepulchral slabs, erected on churches, set up on roods, embroidered on altar cloths or vestments, it was invariably more or less floreated with enriched terminations branching out, as the fruitful and never-fading source of the Christian's brightest hopes. Many of the crosses erected in England, were, in themselves, most beautiful structures, and of the richest design. A large