a {58c} de Valle Crucis,' and 'Abbatia de Llanegwest.'

"The remains of the abbey extant at the present day consist of the
church, and of a building on the southern side, part of which seems
to have formed the Abbot's lodgings, and part to have been the
refectory, with the dormitory above. The church is a cruciform
building, of which the northern side has been almost entirely
destroyed, and without any vestige remaining of its roof, except in
the eastern aisle of the southern transept. In the midst of these
hallowed precincts the rubbish is heaped up to a great height,
caused, probably, by the fall of the northern wall, and by the
remains of the roof:--the pavement, if there be any of it subsisting,
is entirely concealed, and ash-trees grow luxuriantly upon the
mounds, adding to the picturesque effect of the ruin, but saddening
the heart of the antiquary. We are unable, therefore, to determine
the number of piers that formed the side of the nave; but from the
space between the western end and the central piers, at the
intersection of the transepts, we should conjecture this number to
have been three, thus making four arches on either side. The choir
was without aisles, but each transept had one on the eastern side,
which seems to have been used as a chapel. The oldest portion of the
church is the choir; the eastern end of which was lighted by three
bold and lofty lancet arches, rising from no great height above the
level of the pavement to half the altitude of the building, and by
two proportionably smaller lancets above. In the apex of the gable
was probably a small aperture, but of this no trace remains; the
gable is mutilated, and we judge only from the analogy of the western
end of the nave. In each of the northern and southern walls of the
choir is a lancet window; and two similar windows, but lower in
height, occur in each of the eastern walls of the transept aisles.
High up in the southern wall, also, is to be seen a small loophole,
communicating with a passage which leads over the vaulting of the
southern transept aisle to the abbatial building adjoining the
church. This passage is now blocked up, but it is conjectured to
have served either as a closet wherein the abbot could attend service
privately, or else as a place of confinement or penitence for the
monks. The