arble such as we see at Salisbury, no exquisitely carved
capitals such as we meet with at Wells. William of Trumpington seems to
have aimed at making his work harmonize with the Norman work that he
left untouched; and when the rest of the main arcade on the south side
was rebuilt in the next century, it was made to differ but little in
general appearance and dimensions from Abbot William's.

The vertical proportions of the nave elevation are very fine. If the
whole be divided into nine equal parts, four of these are occupied by
the main arcade, two by the triforium, and three by the clerestory. The
view eastward is often closed by a dark red curtain that hangs behind
the organ, which stands in a gallery behind the rood screen. The screen
divides the congregational nave from the three eastern bays of the
architectural nave, which form the western part of the ritual choir.
When the curtain is drawn aside we get a view of the tower arches and
more of the length of the church is seen. It is to be hoped that no
attempt to move the organ will now be made, as some, no doubt, would
suggest, in order to get a more open vista; for the organ stands just
where it can be used equally well for a service either in the nave or
choir, and its sound can be heard with more effect than if it were
stowed away on either side of the church. The longest view of the church
which can be obtained is to be seen by standing at the extreme west end
of the south aisle, from which, when a draught-excluding curtain that
hangs across the aisle just to the east of the transept is drawn aside,
the view extends as far as the east window of the retro-choir, distant
about 440 feet from the western wall, that is, about one-twelfth of a
mile. A better idea of the enormous length of the whole building is
given by saying that it is about a tenth of a mile long, rather than by
giving its length in feet.

[Illustration: BASE OF INCOMPLETE PIER.]

At the extreme west of the nave, on the north side, will be seen the
base of what was intended for an Early English pillar, probably John de
Cella's work, for provision is made for the slender detached columns of
Purbeck marble, the intended use of which his successor abandoned. An
inscription beneath the west window records the fact that when
pestilence prevailed in London in the reign of Henry VIII., and again in
that of Elizabeth, the courts of justice were held in the nave. This
took place in the years 1543, 1589, a