ime he gave them "liberty to have a postern into the
Park to carry out any of their convent that should be diseased."

The house was surrendered to the King in 1539, the warden and ten
brethren being compelled to sign a humiliating document, in which they
professed to "profoundly consider that the perfection of Christian
living doth not consist in dumb ceremonies, wearing of a grey coat,
disguising ourself after strange fashions, ducking, nodding and
becking, in girding our selves with a girdle full of knots and other
like Papisticall ceremonies."

[Illustration: THE SPIRE OF CHRIST CHURCH.]

It is certain at least that they had no accumulated wealth. Whatever
they had received had been distributed for the advantage of the Church
or the poor. At their suppression they had neither lands, tenements,
nor other possessions, save their church and house and the land these
stood on. The site was granted to the city and the buildings thrown
down, only the spire with its supporting walls and arches being
allowed to stand until 1829, when it was incorporated with the new
nave of Christ Church from the designs of Rickman, to whom we are
indebted for the first comprehensive and systematic account of English
Mediaeval architecture. The work shows how imperfectly in those days
even a genuine admirer of Mediaeval Art understood its spirit.
Unfortunately the tower and spire were recased with new stone, and the
original character of the work largely disappeared. The total height
is 204 feet, exclusive of the vane. The plan of the old church was
interesting, especially in the arrangement of the crossing. The short
transepts had little real relation to choir or nave, which were almost
completely separated from one another, the nave being intended for the
use of the public.

The narrowing of the tower from east to west, and the insertion of
secondary north and south arches to carry the slender octagonal tower
is unusual and ingenious. The whole length was 250 feet, and the
transepts were 96 feet from north to south. The nave and choir
differed little in length.

[Illustration: GREY FRIARS' CHURCH (CROSSING).]

The connection of the Franciscans with the production of the
Mysteries, or sacred plays, should not pass unnoticed. Dugdale, who
had spoken with eye witnesses, thus alludes to the subject:

Before the suppression of the Monasteries this City was very
famous for the Pageants that were played therein upon Corpus
Chris