The architecture of this period in France, differing from contemporary work in England, shows a strong Roman influence, hence its name--Romanesque. St. Trophine at Arles is a fine example of this style, beautiful in its proportions and vigorous in detail. The west front of Angouleme Cathedral, with its profusion of semi-circular arcading, displays more affinity to contemporary work in England. In the two French capitals (figs. 9 and 10) a characteristic treatment of animals and birds may be seen, showing a strong vitality in the ornamental art of that period. [Illustration: EARLY GOTHIC DETAILS. Plate 16. ] EARLY GOTHIC DETAILS. The NORMAN style was succeeded by the pointed, or GOTHIC style, remarkable for its variety, its beauty of proportion, and the singular grace and vigour of its ornament. Showing no traditions, beyond Sicilian and Arabian influence, it grew rapidly, and reached a high degree of perfection in France and England. The massive and barbaric character of the Norman style gave place to the light clustered shafts and well-proportioned mouldings of the early English Gothic, with its capitals characterised by a circular abacus, and the typical three-lobed foliage growing upwards from the necking of the shafts, thence spreading out in beautiful curves and spirals under the abacus. This tendency to the spiral line is peculiar to the early Gothic, and differentiates it from the Decorated and Perpendicular Period. The diagrams of the three crockets here given show the distinctive character of English Gothic ornament. [Illustration: A] [Illustration: B] [Illustration: C] A. Early Gothic, three lobed leaves arranged in spiral lines. B. Decorated Gothic, with natural types of foliage, such as the oak and maple, with a flowing indulating line. C. Perpendicular Gothic, showing the vine and leaves as elements, and arranged in a square and angular manner. The same features and characteristics are observed in the borders here given. [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] The beautiful carved spandril from the stone church, Kent (fig. 1), is remarkable for the vigour and flexibility of curve, its recurring forms of ornamentation, and admirable spacing, typical of much of our early English foliage. The type of foliage in early English stained glass is somewhat similar to contemporary carved work, but showing more of the [Illustration: DECORATED AND PERPENDICULAR GOTHIC DETAILS. Plate 17. ] profile of the leaf, and it has a geometric or radiating arrangement in addition to the spiral forms of foliage. Early French work (figs. 7 and 8), with its square abacus, differs from the early English, in having less of the spiral arrangement, and a rounder type of leaf, together with the absence of the mid rib, which is so characteristic of contemporary early English Gothic. The plain moulded capitals so prevalent in this country are rarely found in France. [Illustration] DECORATED & PERPENDICULAR GOTHIC DETAILS.