LEILA. Giaour." LEILA, the beautiful slave of Hassan, loved and was beloved by "the On the discovery of her infidelity she underwent the usual penalty of her crime, and was thrown into the sea. "Her eye's dark charm 'twere vain to tell; But gaze on that of the Gazelle, It will assist thy fancy well: As large, as languishingly dark, But soul beam'd forth in every spark That darted from beneath the lid, Bright as the jewel of Giamschid." Poets may call the harem the paradise of pleasure, or the guarded sanctuary of love; but it is the dungeon of despair, the altar whose offerings are a living death. Can such voluptuous and secluded calm shed o'er the heart that coldness which the sacred cloister and all the majesty of pealing choirs have sometimes failed to breathe? And should awakened love give all that despots seize but cannot win, the master's glance is fate, and his decision death-a watery grave, a midnight, noiseless execution. Often does the stranger, wandering by these guarded bowers of pleasure, "Hear nightly plunged amid the silent wave The present edifice of the cathedral of Bristol is | interesting of the kind in the kingdom, and perhaps not a complete conventual church, since it has no in Europe. Though it has been thus sadly barnave with its aisles, no porch, no western entrance; | though we can scarcely doubt that the original design included all those members. The church is irregularly arranged, and composed of parts that are separate from and unlike each other. At the western end is a transept, or open space, extending north and south beyond the choir and aisles. A wall encloses the whole western extremity, through which wall there are two small doorways, one to a closet and the other to a cloister. To the east, lofty and beautiful arches lead, through five openings, to the elder Lady chapel, to the north aisle, ante-choir, south aisle, and to a sort of second transept called the Newton chapel. On the north side of the church, and separated from the transept by a pointed arch, is the apartment above alluded to, bearing the name of the elder Lady chapel, now useless. It has two communications to the aisle by open arches cut through a thick wall; in one of which is placed a large altartomb, for two persons of the Berkeley family. The remaining open part of the church is made up of a choir with two aisles, and a kind of chancel extending beyond the latter. The choir itself, or part used for the cathedral service, extends from the organ screen to the steps of the altar, and is fitted up with stalls and seats on each side: the bishop's throne to the south, and the pulpit-a Gothic structure, with a pinnacled canopy immediately opposite. A vestibule, of singular architectural character, and a vestry branch from the eastern end of the south aisle. barized, it may be easily restored, and thus rendered an object of admiration and delight to every lover of Christian architecture. Let us indulge the hope that this improvement may be speedily effected." The cloister is imperfect, but what exists of it is beautiful. Upon this cloister, with the refectory, considerable sums of money must have been expended; and more particularly upon the highly decorated superstructure over the Norman gateway leading from the Upper to the Lower-green, the execution of which we should probably be right in placing between 1480 and 1520. This ornamental gateway has the effigies of abbots Newland and Elliot in niches, with their arms on the pedestals by which they are supported. In 1629 a new west window was made, an organ was built, and other works were executed in the cathedral by means of voluntary contributions. During the protectorate of Cromwell, Walter Deyos, the mayor of Bristol, evinced his intemperate zeal for the new government, by causing the lead to be stripped from the cathedral and cloisters; but other members of the corporation took measures to prevent further demolition, and orders were issued in January, 1655, for the sale of the lead, and for the application of the proceeds to repair the building. Eight years afterwards, as we learn from the annals of Bristol, the cathedral church was new mended, and flourished." In the year 1670,the sum of 1,3001. was laid out on the church and prebendal houses, and between the years 1681 and 1685 upwards of 3007. more in repairing the pavement, painting the east end of the choir, and otherwise ornamenting the church. The chapter-room is entered from the cloister, at the extremity of the southern side of the transept. It has a portico or vestibule of entrance. Two sides Of the interior of the church, besides what has only of the cloister remain, bounding the eastern been already remarked, it is particularly deserving and southern sides of the area. At the south end of notice that the vaulting of the aisles is of equal of the transept are stairs, which lead to an apart-height to that of the nave. This is a peculiarity, ment over the vestibule to the chapter-house. Concerning the architectural history of this edifice, Bishop Lyttleton says, it "appears to be one and the same style of building throughout, and no part older than Edward the First's time, though some writers suppose that the present fabric was begun in King Stephen's time; but not a single arch, pillar, or window agrees with the mode which prevailed at that time; indeed, the lower part of the Chapter-house walls, together with the doorway and columns at the entrance of the Chapterhouse, I should pronounce of that age, or rather prior to King Stephen's reign, being true Saxon architecture." The chapter-honse, the lower part of the abbeygate-house, at the south-west angle of Collegegreen, and some doorways of the palace, exhibit specimens of truly Norman architecture, in columns, capitals, windows, and string courses; and these we must refer to the original foundation of Robert Fitzharding, in 1142. The Chapter-room, in architectural character and ornamental details, is far from uninteresting; indeed it possesses positive beauties. "A new boarded floor has been raised about two feet six inches above the original floor, whereby the stone seat, which extended round the room and united with the walls, is entirely covered. Large openings have been made in the south and east walle, in which common sash window-frames are introduced; and the whole interior surface is covered with repeated coats of white-wash. All these things not only greatly disfigure, but tend to destroy the true architectural character and effect of an ancient apartment, which, in its original state, must have been one of the most and, there is reason to believe, a unique example of construction. The aisles of churches are, almost always, much lower than the nave and choir, which are upheld by flying buttresses, extending from the side walls of the nave or choir to other large buttresses against the aisles; but in the choir and aisles of Bristol the principle of construction is entirely original-the arches between the choir and aisles rising as high as the central vaulting, and the side windows of the aisles corresponding in height. The organ-screen seems to have been constructed at the time when the church was first appropriated to cathedral service. It exhibits the Tudor arms, with a dragon and greyhound for supporters, with the initials H. R., those of the prince of Wales, with E. P., and the letters T. W., on a shield; the last initials being those of Thomas Wright, who was appointed receiver-general for the chapter in 1541. To the west of the organ-screen, in the ante-choir, is a stone pulpit of a massive and roomy character, the gift of bishop Wright. It was formerly the practice in this cathedral for the congregation, after divine service, to adjourn into this lower part of the church to hear the sermon; a becoming practice, marking the difference between prayer and preaching, and separating the two exercises. How many of these usages are there which have a fitness in themselves, and which it would be well to revive if men could be led to distinguish between their becomingness and their necessity. Religion consists not in such observances; but the right tone of worshippers is not a little aided by their being maintained, provided their use is explained, and in such a way as represents them as among things utterly subordinate. |