othing but a rebus or picture
of a tenaz or pair of pincers, and indeed the Y's are very like pincers.
In this opinion she is upheld by the carving of the tenacious ivy round
each word, and the fact that Dom Manoel was not really tenacious at all,
but rather changeable, makes it all the more likely that he would adopt
such a motto.

The carvers were doubtless quite illiterate and may well have thought
that the pincers in the drawing from which they were working were a
letter and may therefore have mixed them up to the puzzling of future
generations.[122] Or since nowhere is 'Tayaz serey' written with the 'z'
may not the first 'y' be the final 'z' of Tanaz misplaced?

The arched head of the opening is treated differently on the two sides.
Towards the Pateo the two outer mouldings form a large half octagon set
diagonally and with curved sides; the next two form a large trefoil. In
the spandrels between these are larger wreaths enclosing 'Tanyas erey,'
which is also repeated all round these four mouldings.

The trefoils form large hanging cusps in front of the complicated inner
arch. This too is more or less trefoil in shape,

[Illustration: Fig. 57.

BATALHA ENTRANCE TO CAPELLAS INPERFEITAS.

From a photograph by E. Biel & Co., Oporto]

but with smaller curves between the larger, and all elaborately fringed
with cuspings and foliage.

Four mouldings altogether are of this shape, two on each side, and
beyond them towards the chapel is that arch or moulding which gives to
the whole its most distinctive character. The great trefoil, with large
cusps, which forms the head is crossed by another moulding in such a way
as to become a cinquefoil, while the second moulding, like the hood of
the door at Santarem, forms three large reversed cusps, each ending in
splendid acanthus leaves. Further, the whole of these mouldings are on
the inner side carved with a delicate spiral of ribbon and small balls,
and on the outer with the same acanthus that runs up the jambs.

Now, on the chapel side especially, from the base to the springing there
is little that might not be found in late French Gothic work, except
perhaps that diapered shafts were not then used in France, and that the
bands of carving are rather different in spirit from French work; but as
for the head, no opening of that size was made in France of so
complicated and, it must be added, so unconstructional a shape. It is
the _chef-d'oeuvre_ of the Manoelino style, a