ossible, to
realize some of those gorgeous effects which have made the thirteenth
century windows of Canterbury, Chartres, Bourges, and elsewhere, so
justly celebrated.

[Footnote 42: Millers' Description of Ely Cathedral, p. 76.]

[Footnote 43: See note p. 53.]

The eastern lancets were executed by Mr. Wailes in 1857, and the
representatives of the donor have good reason to be satisfied with the
result. The general effect produced is magnificent; the three lower
lancets in particular present that happy combination of sparkling
brilliancy with that somewhat mysterious indefiniteness in the
distribution of colour which is so well suited to the architectural
effect. It is sufficient to compare the present window with others in
the Cathedral, not excluding the productions of Mr. Wailes himself, to
shew the great advance which the art of glass-painting has recently
made, both in the richness of the colours employed and their
arrangement--the improvement arising, doubtless, from a more accurate
study of the great masters of the middle ages.

The figures and groups in the three noble lancets are executed with
great spirit; and although numerous, are arranged, more especially in
the central window, in masses which the eye can readily follow, and by
occupying so large a portion of the entire surface, leave little room
for the monotonous repetitions of foliage or other patterns; the
distribution of colour is also thus sufficiently varied without its
masses in one part of the window unduly preponderating over those in
another, a condition which is never grossly violated without serious
injury to just architectural effect.

In the central window of the clerestory range, the spaces between the
medallions and the border are filled with a diapered ground, which,
though rich in colour, is somewhat formal in effect; whilst the field
in the side windows, within the border, is too narrow to allow the
figures to be sufficiently separated and relieved from the rest of the
ground. It arises, probably, from these or other causes that the
general effect which the upper lancets produce, though otherwise good,
is by no means so rich and sparkling as that of the lower windows.

The subjects of the three lower lights are illustrative of
the history of our blessed Lord; commencing at the bottom of
the south lancet--where is represented a figure of Jesse,
from whose body issues a genealogical tree--and continuing
in