he vault. The lowest stages, though geometrical in
style, are later in character than the nave itself. The great west
window, and the upper stages are of florid curvilinear Gothic. The west
front is said to have been finished, and the great west window glazed by
Archbishop Melton, who gave 500 or 600 marks to the fabric in 1338. The
church was vaulted in 1354; Archbishop Thoresby is said to have given
the wood. Before the beginning of the nave, the relics of St. William
had been carried into the choir, and installed there with great pomp.
The offerings of the faithful at his shrine helped to defray the expense
of the building. Further funds were gained by means of indulgences
granted by successive archbishops. The houses of Vavasour and Percy gave
wood and stone, and statues of their representatives were placed over
the main porch of the west front.

The date of the chapter-house, and the passage connecting it with the
north transept is disputed. Browne thinks it was begun about 1280, and
finished about 1340. He partly bases his contention on the fact that the
Acts of the Chapter from 1223 to 1300 are given _in Capitulo Eborum_.
After 1300 _in Capitulo Ecclesiae_, or _in loco Capitulari ipsius
Ecclesiae_. After 1342 _in domo Capitulari_. From this he argues that up
to 1342 the chapter-house was not in existence, or unfinished, but that
it was in use from that date. The geometrical character of the tracery,
and the Purbeck marble shafts used in the chapter-house might seem to
support that view. Professor Willis, however, considers there is little
significance in the difference in the phrases used. _In capitulo_ simply
means "in chapter," and _in loco capitulari_ and _in domo capitulari_
are vague phrases which may either mean a chapter-house, or a place used
for the sittings of the chapter. At any rate, he thinks the
chapter-house was not begun until after 1320, and the passage leading to
it is still later. If this is the case, however, there is no reason why
the chapter-house should not have been finished in 1342, and that would
account for the change of phrase in the Acts. Though, at first sight,
the building appears to be Early Decorated in style, on a closer
examination it will be seen that the slender mouldings, the character of
the carvings, and the details, especially on the outside, all point to a
later date. It is curious, however, that if the building was not begun
until after 1320, the tracery was not curviline