Coventry Cathedral. 147 



Majesty good Queen Bess, fixing the rates for pastur- 

 age on the commons near Coventry : " For one cow 

 per week, one penny ; for one horse, two-pence." Our 

 agriculturists should take this for a basis, a Queen 

 Elizabeth valuation ! I suppose some expert or other 

 could figure the " fair rent " for anything, if given this 

 basis to start upon. 



The churches are very fine, the stained-glass windows 

 excelling in some respects any we have seen, the amount 

 of glass is so much greater. The entire end of one of 

 the cathedral churches is filled by three immense win- 

 dows reaching from floor to roof, the effect of which is 

 very grand. The choir of this church is not in line with 

 the other portion of the building. In reply to my 

 inquiry why this was so, the guide boldly assured us, 

 with a look of surprise at our ignorance, that all cathe- 

 drals are so constructed, and that the crooked choir 

 symbolizes the head of Christ, which is always repre- 

 sented leaning to one side of the cross. The idea made 

 me shiver ; I felt as if I should never be able to walk 

 up the aisle of a cathedral again without an unpleasant 

 sensation. Thanks to a clear-headed, thorough-going 

 young lady, who, "just didn't believe it," we soon got 

 at the truth about cathedrals, for she proved that they 

 are everywhere built on straight lines. This guide fitly 

 illustrates the danger of good men staying at home in 

 their little island. His cathedral is crooked, and there- 

 fore all others are or should be so. Very English this. 



