CHURCH OF ST. JUST-IN- PBITWITH. 185 



place, just west of the present one, and exactly opposite the 

 north ; and that equidistant on each side was a window, the 

 eastern one of which has at some time been blocked to make room 

 for the new south door, whose position has so puzzled you. The 

 old doorway is still there, and within it is a smaller one, opening 

 on to the stairway that leads to the roof of the porch, for what 

 particular purpose is not very clear, for there is no trace of there 

 ever having been a parvis there. Many another revelation these 

 walls have for us, but some of them I have doubtless missed, 

 and some I have not time to repeat. One only do I wish to draw 

 attention to, and that is that the north wall is older than the 

 south. Any of you who have compared the loving care with 

 which the scoinson arches of the northern windows are put 

 together of carefully selected moorland stones, with the easier but 

 less artistic and unnatural way in which those on the south are 

 made up of great fiat slabs, will know what I mean far better 

 than I can tell you. One can never believe that men who could 

 conceive and build these walls ever meant that they should be 

 plastered over, and it is accordingly not surprising to note that 

 the best of the old stone work, namely the north wall, appears to 

 be at least 50 years older than the distemper paintings which 

 adorn it, and which are perhaps contemporary with the south 

 wall, which is an imitation of the north, made by men who had 

 not the same sense of beauty. To say a word concerning the 

 distempers (or, as the newspapers for some reason always call 

 them, frescoes). They were discovered by the late Mr. Piers St. 

 Aubyn, during his restoration of the church in 1866. Four have 

 entirely disappeared ; but two remain, and, though sadly mutil- 

 ated, are well worth study. The one represents St. George and 

 the dragon, and was evidently a very spirited drawing ; the head 

 of the horse is especially good, but the bridle and trappings, which 

 when first discovered retained much of their colour, are now 

 almost obliterated. The rider has his sword lifted to slay the 

 dragon, which has somewhat the appearance of a clumsy lion (if 

 you can conceive such a contradiction), with red paws, and black 

 claws. Behind St. Greorge are some women, who are of course 

 Cleodolinda, the king's daughter of Selene, and her attendants. 

 But, doubtless, everyone here knows this interesting variant of the 

 tale of Perseus. The other painting has also lost its beauty. It 



