of ancient figures); on the southern turret St.
James the Less with a club, St. James the Greater with a pilgrim's
staff, St. Bartholomew with the knife of his martyrdom and St.
Matthias with a lance.

[Illustration: DETAILS OF MAIN WEST PORTAL.
_From a Drawing by H.P. Clifford._]

The tier of the doctors, virgins, and martyrs, keeping to the same
order, shows: St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, with a scourge in his
right hand, and a bishop's staff in his left; St. Jerome in a
cardinal's hat, with a church in his right hand and a bible in his
left; St. Gregory in papal tiara, the legendary club on his shield,
his pastoral staff doubly crossed, and a book, typical of his
writings, on his left. On the smaller north buttress, near the turret,
is a restored figure removed from its original place, which represents
St. Augustine, wearing a bishop's mitre, and holding his hand as in
the act of benediction. On the greater north buttress is the figure of
St. Mary the Virgin, to whom the church is dedicated. This figure is
also restored. In the eleven niches over the central door are, with
their various symbols: St. Barbara, St. Catherine, St. Roche, St.
Nicholas, St. George of England, St. Christopher, St. Sebastian, St.
Cosmo, St. Damian, St. Margaret, and St. Ursula. On the greater south
buttress is St. John the Baptist, and on the lesser an old figure
unrestored, supposed to represent St. Bridget. On the southern turret
are St. Mary, St. Agatha, St. Agnes and St. Cecilia, each wearing the
martyr's crown. The tier of worthies comprises: Bishops Giles de
Bridport and Richard Poore, and King Henry III. as a founder. Bishop
Odo, with a wafer in his hand, commemorating the legend of his
miraculous proof of the transubstantiation of the Blessed Sacrament;
St. Osmund, Bishop Brithwold, St. Alban, St. Alphege, St. Edmund, and
St. Thomas of Canterbury.

Another figure on the north side of the north-west turret, for some
time assumed to be St. Christopher, is now assigned to St. Birinus, or
possibly with more truth to St. Nicholas, who had an altar dedicated
to him, "probably just at the back of this spot."

On the apex of the west front is an ancient carving of a bird on a
scroll, which has puzzled many specialists. Mr. Armfield believes it
to be intended for a dove, the emblem of the Holy Spirit, in a scroll
to typify The Word, and thus with the "Majesty" near, to be a
representation of the three persons of the Trinity, in a m