Wonders Of Operative Masonry.

richmeuts of architecture are now superadded the effects produced by time . Some of the Gothic windows are obscured by masses of ivy , others are beautifully canojiiecl , while mosses ancl lichens lend their witchery to furnish contrasting tints to the ruin . King Edward II . took refuge in Tintern Abbey from the pursuit of his Queen , Isabella . Among the famous dead interred within its walls was the founder ' s

brother , Gilbert Strongbow , first Earl of Pembroke , who died in A . D . 1148 , ancl there is still preserved there his monument and statue . Upon the site of Tintern Abbey it is stated that King Theodoric was killed while fighting under the banner of the Cross against the Pagan Saxons in

the year 600 . ST . ALBAN ' ABBEY , one of the earliest ancl most remarkable Abbeys in England , was founded by Offa , King of Mercia , A . D . 791 . It is situated in Hertfordshire , 21 miles north west from London , ancl is

cruciform , the nave being 539 feet in length , and the transept 174 feet , while the central Tower is 144 feet high . The west front is imposing , although it has lost much of its ornamental character . The interior is exceedingly rich . The arches

ancl columns are embellished with bold mouldings , terminating in finely sculptured heads of Abbot , King , Queen , and Bishop . The altar screen is an elegant specimen of

the florid style of architecture , ancl the workmanshi p upon it is of the choicest description . Both the transepts are of Anglo-Norman architecture . There were numerous Chapels in this Abbey , but one of them , a sepulchral chantry or oratory ,

is superlatively rich in sculptured ornaments . It is throughout an architectural wonder . The sepulchral oratory of the illustrious Duke of Gloucester , is also remarkable . The dimensions of St . Alban ' s Abbey are so majestic , its proportions are

so just , its enrichments are so elegant ancl yet so simple , its tower is so massive and lofty , and its walls are so beautifull y mantled with ivy , that every visitor leaves the Abbey full of admiration . Froudein his History of Englandives

, , g an interesting account of a " visitation of the Monasteries " in A . D . 1489 when 3 t . Alban ' s Abbey was visited , ancl the most glaring moral delinquencies found to exist among its monks and nuns .

ELY CATHEDRAL , at the city of Ely , on the banks of the Ouse , Cambridgeshire , 68 miles north of London , was founded in A . D . 673 , by Ethelclreda , daughter of the King of the East Angles , It affords one of the most complete series of architectural styles of any Cathedral in the kingdom .

Beginning with the remains of the Conventual Church of A . D . 073 , there are specimens of every style from that date until A . D . 1534 , when the newest portion was erected . The transepts are the most ancient parts still complete , having beeu

built in the reign of Henry I . The arches are supported by elegant clustered pillars , having capitals composed of flowers and foliage , and on some of the jrillars passages in the life of St . Ethelclreda , the founder of the original monastery , are represented

in relief . The choir is very elegantly enriched . There are many curious and interesting monuments in this Cathedral . Of the fifty-four Bishops of Ely , thirtyseven lie entombed here . The Tower of

Ely Cathedral is lofty ancl castellatedone of consummate splendour . The greater part of the western front was built in A . D . 1189 . This Cathedral contains numerous notable chapels , of which the chief are those of Bishop West and Bishop Alcockancl the Lady Chapel . Their

, vaulted ceilings are filled with elaborate tracery , ancl the entire chapels are beautiful specimens of the pointed architecture of the Tudor times .

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL , at the city of Canterbury , 56 miles south west of London , is a structure of superlative beaut } -. It was founded by Lanfranc , whom William the Conqueror made Primate of all England . It was dedicated in A . D . 1114 . After

the murder of Archbishop Thomas it Becket at its altar , it was reconsecrated in 1170 , the martyr was canonized , and St . Thomas ' s Festival gave origin to the most curious and ancient poem in the English language—Chaucer ' s Canterbury Tales . In 1472 the great central tower was built to a height of

235 feet . Much of the architecture is Anglo-Norman . In the various chapels of this Cathedral many noted Archbishops are interred , including Cuthbert ( A . D . 759 ) , Odo , Lanfranc , St . Anselm , Thomas a , Becket ancl Cardinal Pole . Edward the Black Prince , and King Henry IV . also have tombs there . The painted glass in