10 The Eleventh General Meeting. 



Franco and Romo, that ho had had littlo time to think about| 

 English Gothic. Still, having been familiar with it for many! 

 years, he could not refuse to say a few words. Salisbury Cathedral! 

 was a beautiful specimen of pure, early English Gothic — he did! 

 not at all connect it with the Pointed style, which some people' 

 were in the habit of describing as Gothic. He believed that Gothic}; 

 architecture was essentially English. In England we had purer] 

 and more distinct Gothic than anywhere else. The character of I 

 the mouldings, and the lightness of construction, were its distinctive 

 features, . as compared with the Roman and Byzantine styles. Cir- 

 cumstances and convenience guided the form of arch at all times, 

 and an arch was therefore no guide to the age of a building. He 

 had lately been studying Suza's Church, near Paris, which had 

 been described as a wonderful specimen of Gothic architecture, j 

 but in reality it was not so. As to Salisbury Cathedral, there was 

 not a vestige of the Romanesque about it anj'where. The stone 

 vault was not necessarily a Gothic feature. Lightness, elegance, 

 rich moulding, and clustered columns were its essential features. 

 Almost every stone in Salisbury Cathedral was an example of our 

 own national style. He thought that, on the whole, Mr. Wyatt 

 was to be thanked for his alterations. In some respects he was 

 wrong in principle, and he (Mr. Parker), would like to have collared 

 him for much that he did, but still it must be confessed that he had 

 left a complete unity of style in the building, which was not to be 

 found anywhere else. The Cathedral was built towards the second 

 quarter of the 13th century. There were earlier examples, but it 

 was during the peaceful reign of Henry II. that the Gothic style 

 was developed ; and afterwards perfected in this country, at the 

 end of the 12th century. The Choir of Lincoln built between 

 1192 and 1200, he believed to be the earliest Gothic building in 

 Europe, and this style is not oriental : it belongs exclusively to 

 Western Europe. The ornaments and sculpture introduced from 

 Syria by the Crusaders on their return, came into general use about 

 the middle of the 12th century, and they may have introduced the 

 Pointed arch, but not the Gothic style, the details of which are 

 quite distinct from any other. No doubt the windows of Salisbury 



