170 ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE. Part IT. perhaps it might now be ; but in the meanwhile the English, con- sidering the limited dimensions of their buildings, seem to have approached a perfect ideal more nearly than any other nation during the Middle Ages. Diversity of Style. There is still another consideration which must not be lost sioht of in attempting to estimate the relative merit of Continental and English cathedrals ; which is, the extraorclinary diversity of style Avhich generally prevails in the same building in this country as com- pared with those abroad. All the great French cathedrals — such as Paris, Ptheims, Chartres, Bruges, and Amiens — are singularly uniform throughout. Internally it requires a very keen perception of style to appreciate the difference, and externally the variations are generally in the towers, or in unessential adjuncts which hardly interfere with the general design. In this country we have scarcely a cathedi-al, except Salisbury, of wiiich this can be said. It is true that Norwich is tolerably uniform in plan and in the detail of its walls up to a cer- tain height; but the whole of the vaulting is of the 15th century, and the windows are all filled with tracery of the same date. At Ely, a Norman nave leads up to the octagon and choir of the 14th century, and we then pass on to the presbytery of the 13th. At Canterbury and Winchester the anomalies are still greater ; and at Gloucester, owing to the perpendicular tracery being spread over the Norman skeleton, they become absolutely bewildering. In some, as Wells or Yoi-k, it must be confessed the increase in richness from the western entrance to Lady Chapel is appropriate, and adds to the effect of the church more than if the whole were uniform throuirhout. This is particularly felt at Lincoln, where the simplicity of the early English nave and choir blossoms at last into the chaste beauty of the Angel Choir at the east end. It follows so immediately after the rest as not to produce any want of harmony, while it gives such a degree of enrichment as is suitable to the sanctity of the altar and the localities which surround it. Even, however, when this is not the case, the historical interest attaching to these examples of the different ages of English architec- ture goes far to compensate for the want of architectural symmetry, and in this respect the English cathedrals excel all others. That history which on the Continent must be learnt from the examination of fifty different examples, may frequently be found in England written complete in a single cathedral. The difficulty is to discrim- inate how much of the feehng thus excited is due to Archaeology, and how much to Architecture. In so far as the last-named art is concerned, it must probably be confessed that our churches do suffer
