of flags above the other, yet the builders seemed to be ignorant of the principle of the arch. More generally, however, the cells were constructed of wood, or wicker work, and these, although by no means so durable, were probably much more comfortable than the cells of stone. One of the most necessary buildings for a laura or monastery was the kitchen--the _cuicin_ in Irish, or _culina_ in Latin. St. Patrick's 'kitchen' at Armagh was seventeen feet long, and is spoken of as one of the principal buildings within the lis, or monastic enclosure. The _Tripartite Life_ of the Saint in the same place tells us that the Great House was twenty-seven feet in length, and consequently much longer than the 'kitchen' with which it seems to have been connected. The Great House--if not the church--was in all probability the refectory or dining-room, which is more generally and appropriately called in Irish, the _proinn-teach_, or dinner-house. It is doubtful if we have any specimens of the Refectories or Kitchens of our earliest monasteries still surviving, because as a rule they were composed of perishable materials. Another important building annexed to the monastery, but generally outside the enclosure was the Hospice, or Guest-House, where strangers were entertained with the utmost hospitality, whether they came as mere visitors (_peregrim_), or penitents to atone for their sins, and receive spiritual consolation. There was, however, another class of guests (_hospites_), distinguished ecclesiastics or princes, the friends of the abbot or community, who were treated with the greatest consideration. They were admitted within the sacred enclosure, and if bishops or priests they were usually invited to officiate for the community. There is no more beautiful trait of monastic hospitality than the consideration with which the monks treated distinguished strangers, and the care they bestowed on the poor.