will be observed that the facade is composed of a smooth mass
of wall, sustained on two tiers of pillars, one above the other. The
manner in which these support the whole fabric will be understood at
once by the rough section, fig. XXXVIII., which is supposed to be taken
right through the palace to the interior court, from near the middle of
the Sea Facade. Here _a_ and _d_ are the rows of shafts, both in the
inner court and on the Facade, which carry the main walls; _b_, _c_ are
solid walls variously strengthened with pilasters. A, B, C are the three
stories of the interior of the palace.

The reader sees that it is impossible for any plan to be more simple,
and that if the inner floors and walls of the stories A, B were
removed, there could be left merely the form of a basilica,--two high
walls, carried on ranges of shafts, and roofed by a low gable.

The stories A, B are entirely modernized, and divided into confused
ranges of small apartments, among which what vestiges remain of ancient
masonry are entirely undecipherable, except by investigations such as I
have had neither the time nor, as in most cases they would involve the
removal of modern plastering, the opportunity, to make. With the
subdivisions of this story, therefore, I shall not trouble the reader;
but those of the great upper story, C, are highly important.

Sec. VII. In the bird's-eye view above, fig. XXXVII., it will be noticed
that the two windows on the right are lower than the other four of the
facade. In this arrangement there is one of the most remarkable
instances I know of the daring sacrifice of symmetry to convenience,
which was noticed in Chap. VII. as one of the chief noblenesses of the
Gothic schools.

The part of the palace in which the two lower windows occur, we shall
find, was first built, and arranged in four stories in order to obtain
the necessary number of apartments. Owing to circumstances, of which we
shall presently give an account, it became necessary, in the beginning
of the fourteenth century, to provide another large and magnificent
chamber for the meeting of the senate. That chamber was added at the
side of the older building; but, as only one room was wanted, there was
no need to divide the added portion into two stories. The entire height
was given to the single chamber, being indeed not too great for just
harmony with its enormous length and breadth. And then came the question
how to place the windows, whether on a l