secundus Ranulfus comes “Cestrie concedo et confirmo hos omnibus donationes quos mei antecessores vel barones eor’m dederunt,”) with additional grants from himself. Anselm, Abbot of Bec, afterward Archbishop of Canterbury, regulated the new foundation, and appointed Richard, his chaplain, the first abbot. Hugh Lupus, following the example of most of his predecessors, lived a life of the wildest luxury and rapine. At length, falling sick from the consequence of his excesses, and age and disease coming on, the old hardened soldier was struck with remorse; and—an expiation common enough in those days—the great Hugh Lupus took the cowl, retired in the last state of disease into the monastery, and in three days was no more. The Abbey was so richly endowed by the founder and his successors, that at the dissolution its revenues amounted to no less a sum than £1,073 17s. 7d. per annum. On the general dissolution of the monasteries, Chester was erected into an independent bishopric, and St. Werburgh’s was converted into a Cathedral Church, which it has ever since remained. It was dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary; and a dean and six prebendaries installed in it, Thomas Clarke, the last abbot, being appointed the first dean. The principal portions of this venerable pile have been erected at different periods from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, although there are some parts which bear indubitable marks of a much earlier origin; the greater part, perhaps, belongs to the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the richly decorated style of Gothic architecture was at its zenith in this country. The Cathedral, from whatever side it is viewed, presents a massive appearance, and exhibits a pleasing variety of styles, in accordance with the taste of different ages. Mr. Asphitel has said that he found beauties which grew on him more and more at every visit. The Norman remains are extremely fine—there is work of all kinds of great beauty—and there are the most curious and instructive transitions from style to style that perhaps were ever contained in one building. Its general style may be termed the Norman-Gothic. It has been generally supposed that there are also some remaining specimens of the Saxon; but Mr. Asphitel, in an interesting lecture delivered before the British Archæological Association, stated that he could not, from the most minute research, discover any portion of the Saxon church; he considered it possible there might be some portions in the foundations, but none were visible.