276 COMPARATIVE ARCHITECTURE. In churches, a single western tower is an English characteristic ^No. 130). The interior of a Gothic Cathedral has been thus described : " The tall shafts lh;it mount in massy pride, Their mingling branches shoot from side to side ; Where elfin sculptors with fantastic clue Oer the long roof their wild embroidery drew ; When superstition, with capricious hand. In many a maze, the wreathed window planned, With hues romantic tinged the gorgeous pane, To fill with holy light the wondrous fane. To aid the builder's model, richly rude, By no Vitruvian symmetry subdued." The English Cathedrals, as a general rule, owe much of their beauty to the fact that they are generally placed in a large open space called the Close, as at Canterbury, Lincoln (No. 125) and Salisbury (No. 121) — • " The ranged ramparts bright From level meadow-bases of deep grass Suddenly sealed I he light '" — or are situated picturesquely on the banks of a river, as at Worcester, or Durham, described by Scott as, " Grand and vast that stands above the Wear ; " or. as Milton so descriptively has it, are " Bosom'd high "mid tufted trees." The French Cathedrals, on the other hand, are often completely surrounded by houses and shops (page 368), which in many cases were actually built against the wall of the church itself (No. 162). For comparison of English and French Cathedrals, see page 378. MONASTERIES. These were amongst the most important structures erected in the middle ages, and were important factors in the development of mediaeval architecture. They were erected by the various religious orders already referred to (page 218). The monks according to their several orders favoured different pursuits. The Benedictine was the chronicler and most learned of monks, and his dress was adopted by University students ; the Augustinian favoured preaching and disputations ; the Cistercian was the recluse, the friend of the poor, interested in agriculture and industrial ptirsuits ; the Cluniac was the student and artist ; the Carthusian the ascetic ; and the Friars the missionary preachers of the period. A complete monastery, of which S. Gall (page 261) and "Westminster Abbey (No. 127) are good examples, included
