large
monumental slab, from which the brass has been removed; and this has
always been traditionally said to be the actual stone placed over his
body. The brass represented an ecclesiastic with mitre and pastoral
staff. The objection to this having been Walsingham's memorial, that
these emblems could not have been correctly placed upon it, has been
thus met: "On the other hand it is contended that although Alan died a
Prior of the Convent, he had been elected Bishop by the Monks, though
his election was overruled by the Pope, and that seeing to his successor
Prior Powcher the Pope gave permission that he and all future Priors of
Ely should wear the mitre and carry the crozier, it is possible that the
Monks had anticipated somewhat the Pope's edict, and had represented
their beloved Prelate with episcopal mitre on his head and crozier in
his hand."[16] He well deserved the description in the epitaph, "Flos
operatorum" ("The Flower of Craftsmen"). The rich woodwork in the
choir--the stalls with their beautiful canopies--is also certainly
Walsingham's work.

Besides the great operations of this century there were various
alterations and additions made in the cathedral of which the date is not
recorded. The triforium in the presbytery was rearranged; the external
walls were raised, and the Early English windows of Northwold's work
were replaced by much larger ones with Decorated tracery. As the
clerestory windows were not altered, the lean-to roof of the triforium
was of course made much more flat than before. The graceful flying
buttresses, with their elegant pinnacles, are of this same date. The
character of Northwold's triforium windows and the corbel table below
the parapet may be still seen in two bays on the south side. The aisle
windows of the presbytery were also enlarged in the Decorated period;
but they are not of the same design as the triforium windows, and they
were probably not inserted at the same time. Judging by ordinary methods
of discriminating dates by character and style, we should suppose the
aisle windows to be earlier than those above; possibly some of this was
done by Bishop Barnet (1366-1373). The whole designing is so unlike any
of Walsingham's known work that we can hardly suppose that he was the
author.

After the extensive changes of the fourteenth century were completed,
the fabric of the cathedral was left practically as we see it now.
Rearrangements of the interior have taken place on many