Bk. VI. Ch. IV. GLASGOW CATHEDRAL. 209 The glory of this cathedral is its crypt, which is unrivalled in Britain, and indeed perhaps in Europe. Almost all the crypts now- found in England were built during the Norman period, or very early in the pointed style. That at Glasgow, however, belongs to the perfected style of the 13th century, and as the ground falls rapidly towards the west, the architect was enabled to give it all the height required, and to light it with perfect ease. Here the crypt actually 639. View in Crypt of Glasgow Cathedral. extends under and beyond the whole choir. Had there been an open- ing in the centre of the vault (and it is by no means clear that one was not originally intended), it would be more like a German double church than anything found in England. There is a solidity in its architecture, a richness in its vaulting, and a variety of perspective in the spacing of its pillars, which make it one of the most perfect pieces of architecture in these islands. In the crypt and lower part of the church the Avindows are generally single or double lancet, united by an arch. In the clerestory v<n,. Ti. •14
