ty, writes thus: "The
account in Mercurius Rusticus, which has given vogue to the common story
is wholly untrue." He further adds: "Some fanatic soldier may, indeed,
according to the story, have broken off the head of Queen Elizabeth,
mistaking her for our Lady. But no general mutilation or desecration
took place at this time. And at Exeter, one form of mutilation, which
specially affected the west front, was not the work of enemies but of
devotees. For ages the country folk who came into the city loved to
carry home a Peter stone for the healing of their ailments." It is only
fair to add that Archdeacon Freeman refers in very different language to
the result of the occupation by the Puritans, but though the decorative
portions of the cloister may have suffered, we cannot account for the
disappearance of the exterior walls without a better reason for their
destruction. It should be noted, however, that in the fifteenth century
the Dean and Chapter bitterly complained of the conduct of the Exeter
boys, who played "unlawfull games as the toppe, queke, penny pryke &
most atte tenys" in the cloister, whereby they were "defowled & the glas
windows all to-brost." But at this time the cathedral and municipal
authorities were far from friendly to each other. Dr. Oliver writes of
the ruins in his day that they "have disappeared with the exception of
part of a fluted column at the west corner of the carpenter's shop."
With the debris small and mean houses were built. On the 30th of
October, 1657, we are given a hint as to what may have been the meaning
of this wanton destruction. Apparently the ground set apart for "the
convenience of the studious and contemplative" was found to have
valuable attributes as a market-place, for on the above day the "Friday
cloth market for serges and other drapery" was ordered to be held in
this place. Commerce did not triumph for long, though, as only three
years later the buyers and sellers were bundled back into South Street.

[Illustration: THE EAST GATE, PULLED DOWN IN 1784.]

A large number of bosses and carvings of the original structure,
discovered during the recent excavations, have been skilfully
incorporated by Mr. Pearson in his restoration. Above the cloister is a
library containing 8,000 volumes, many of them bequeathed by the late
Chancellor Harrington.

#The Close.#--This was an important adjunct to all cathedrals in the
days following the Conquest. We have seen that on one occasi