THE cathedral of Llandaff is generally allowed to be the most ruinous in south Britain. It suffered considerably during the rebellion in the reign of Henry the Fourth. A violent storm, notwithstanding its low situation, in 1763, also damaged the west end and other parts of the ruins. "It stands," observes Malkin, 66 as seems to have been the fashion in this part of the country (and in all the west of England) for buildings of great account, in a bottom, surrounded by rising grounds that overlook its highest battlements. It serves, therefore, neither as a beacon nor ornament to the neighbourhood; but its situation, when you come to it, is awful and monastic, interspersed, as it is, with religious remains, and partially overhung with wood or clothed with ivy." It has, indeed, all the local advantages which seem to have attracted the attention of the first Christians in their selection of pious residences. Nevertheless, the same writer concurs in the popular notion, that "the dedication of St. Fagan's church to Christian worship is much more ancient than that of Llandaff, according to the account both of the English and Welsh writers, none of whom place the arrival of this missionary later than the second century." Were there authentic evidence of this fact, according to the custom of the first missionaries, it would contribute to establish belief in the great antiquity of Llandaff, as its contiguity to St. Fagan's must have contributed to their mutual security.

Examining the cathedral on its exterior, the west front we remark still beautiful in its ruins: in the place of the tower, on the south side, a mass of ivy is seen, which spreads itself over, and conceals under its dark foliage, nearly one-half of the west end of the nave, which is divided into three stories. The lowest contains the door of entrance, which, being round-headed and composed of Norman mouldings and shafts, is probably the work of Bishop Urban, together with the wall on each side of it. The next story is very elegant, containing three lancet-headed windows, of one light each, the centre one higher than the others; and between them a small lancet-headed panel, with slender shafts. The third story contains one lancet-headed window, of one light, not so lofty as those beneath; and on each side of it are four trefoil-headed panels, which gradually increase in height towards the window, following the inclination of the gable: above this window, in the gable-point, is a small trefoilheaded arch, and on the point itself is set a plain cross. There is no parapet; but in its place a plain coping. Jasper's tower, on the north side, said to be the work of a Duke of Bedford, is nearly perfect: at the south-west angle is a turret contain ing a staircase; the lowest story contains an carly English window, now walled up, which lighted the west end of the north aisle. This story of the tower could not have been built by the duke; he probably added the two next to this, and so gained the credit of having built the whole. The windows of the second and third stories agree very well with the date when it is recorded that the tower was built by that nobleman. The rich open parapet and crocketed pinnacles, however, with which he crowned it, have disappeared, and a mean and

modern battlement substituted in their place. The unsightly buttresses of many stages, at the outer angles of the tower, have been added in modern times to strengthen it. On the south side all is in ruins, to the fifth compartment of the nave and its aisle; from thence to the chapter house, the aisle is entire: the windows are of three lights, with ordinary decorated tracery, and flowing, or ogee arches; the embattled parapet above them is a modern addition. Though the south porch is gone, the door way which it covered is still perfect, and is a most beautiful example of the richest Norman work. It is deeply recessed, and composed of four concentric semi-circles, adorned with zigzag, net, and other mouldings, which rest on cylindrical shafts engaged. This also may be a part of the original work of Bishop Urban. The present nave and choir are a modern edifice; it has a pediment at each end, with a sort of Doric cornice. That to the west is adorned with urns; the windows on each side are round-headed, with fan lights. The east end of the aisles has cach of them a good pointed window of perpendicular tracery. The south side of the Lady chapel has three good windows, of early decorated character, of two lights each, with buttresses of several stages between them, reaching to the bottom of the parapet, which is modern and embattled. The cast end of the chapel is flanked with double buttresses of the same description, and has an embattled modern gable.

The north sides of the Lady chapel, new choir, and nave, as well as the ruined portion of the old nave, are very similar to the corresponding portions on the south side. The Norman door on this side is exactly opposite to the south door, but not so church intersects the old nave, through the four richly ornamented. The new west front of the columns on each side of it, from the west end.

On going within the church we find two compartments of the old nave yet remaining; the pilthe arch mouldings more delicate than those of the lars, however, are more slender and clustered, and ruined portion of the nave. The aisles, both of the nave and choir, are still in their original state. Between the second pillars from the new west front whole interior of the choir, is all of modern Anglothe choir screen is constructed; this, as well as the

Italian work.

The Lady chapel still retains most of its original features; it is light and well-proportioned, the groining simple and good.

The chapter-house is a square room, entered from the south aisle of the choir, against which it is built; the other three sides have each of them two windows of one light each, and trefoiled-headed : the groining is very good, and springs from a cylindrical column in the centre. The singularly beautiful door of the chapter-house is exhibited in the engraving which accompanies this notice.

The dimensions of this cathedral are as follows:Extreme length from east to west, including Lady chapel and ruined portion of the nave, 270 feet; breadth of nave and aisles the same as the choir and its aisles, 30 feet; about 70 feet of the nave is in ruins; Lady chapel 58 feet long, 25 broad, and 36 high.