48 PAPERS, ETC. 
pencil to pourtray, a mind acute enough to understand for 
himself, and capacious enough to tolerate the opinions of 
others, and who, above all things, does not disdain the 
natural and appropriate use of his native language. I set 
up no man’s ipse dizit, but I always have a peculiar 
pleasure in finding myself ranged by the side of Mr. Petit. 
The following is his judgment, as well argued as it is 
simply expressed. 
“ This style (the Perpendicular) appears to the greatest 
advantage in the finish of towers. We know how the Ger- 
mans avoided the horizontal line in that part of the structure. 
The sides of a tower or octagon often terminated in gables, 
and the whole was surmounted by a dome or spire, which 
was of wood, if the substructure was not capable of bearing 
one of stone. In the Perpendicular English, on the con- 
trary, the tower was boldly finished with the horizontal 
line ; broken, it is true, with the embattled parapet, and 
varied with pinnacles, but still without disguise or con- 
cealment; for it was felt to form an excellent contrast with 
the vertical lines of the edifice. The square tower, with its 
capping of battlements and pinnacles, (I cannot name a 
better example than that of Magdalen College, Oxford,) 
is one of the noblest features of Gothic architecture, and is 
peculiarly our own; nor is it confined to one class of 
building ; the town, the village, the episcopal city, all 
alike boast it as their chief ornament.”* 
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOWERS, 
The more elaborate of the Perpendicular towers of 
Somerset, although forming one great class, may yet 
easily be grouped under several minor subdivisions. Three 
* Church Architecture. i. 208. 
