PAINTED GLASS WINDOW IN MORLEY CHURCH, DERBYSHIRE. 147 



her and her companions the crown of martyrdom, promised in the 

 vision, at Cologne. 



Their martyrdom was brought about by the wicked influence 

 of two Roman captains, who commanded the Imperial troops in 

 Germany, who were then in Rome. They sent a message to 

 the barbarian King of the Huns, who was at that time engaged 

 in besieging Cologne ; the consequence was that on their return 

 to Cologne, accompanied by a great train of Cardinals and others, 

 headed by the Pope, the whole of them were cruelly massacred 

 by the Huns, and the ancient chronicle concludes thus — "her 

 spirit ascended into heaven with all the glorious sisterhood of 

 martyrs whom she had led to death." It is this last passage 

 that the old glass painter has depicted in the window now at 

 Morley. 



The 14th century was the period when glass painters first began 

 to paint subject pieces with a nearer approach to nature, and 

 attempted greater things in light and shade, than had been done 

 before. In the nth and 12th centuries, little had been done in . 

 the way of painting on glass ; pieces of glass of which the body 

 was coloured, and on which the subject was drawn with a reddish 

 brown enamel, being all that was attempted in the way of actual 

 painting at that time; but in the 14th century such work as we 

 see in the lights on each side of the St. Ursula subject, began to 

 be executed, and was further improved in colouring and shading, 

 though not perhaps in design, during the 15 th century. 



The figure of the B.V. Mary on the left side, is a good example; 

 the figure is dignified and well designed, in which respect it 

 differs from the Magdalen on the right, though we think this 

 difference is owing in a great measure to some damage it had 

 received in its transit, before it was restored. For it must be 

 kept in mind that when Mr. Fox first found these windows, they 

 were put together in a very primitive fashion, the pieces of glass 

 being much mixed up, and not at all in their proper places, some, 

 indeed many, being lost, were renewed, and these new parts are 

 very observable in this particular window. This allowance being 

 made, it will be admitted that the entire window is by no means 



