We now visit the _Chapter-House_, passing through the vestibule which is of Late Early English design. We notice the beautiful arcading in the latter; on the west side there are seats where, it is said, that the feet of beggars were washed on Maundy Thursday. The dog-tooth ornament is extensively used in the arcading. The doorway to the chapter-house is very fine and is a double one with a figure of our Lord in the tympanum. Clustered shafts are at the sides with capitals carved with foliage. The chapter-house is octagonal, having the north and south sides longer than the others. The central pillar is surrounded by banded shafts with richly-carved capitals. The windows are Early English, with two lights. An arcade of forty-nine arches with rich canopies surrounds the chamber. Traces of mural painting may be seen over the door. All the ancient glass was destroyed, and modern artists are depicting in glass the history of the see. Over the chapter-house is the _Library_. It contains many treasures, in spite of the Puritan destruction, the most valuable being the Gospels of St. Chad (preserved in a glass case in the retro-choir), containing the Gospels of SS. Matthew and Mark and part of St. Luke. It has 700 miniatures. Other treasures are Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_, which has all except that of the _Ploughman's_, supposed by some to be spurious; Caxton's _Life of King Arthur_, the MS. Household-book of Prince Henry, eldest son of James I., and many rare Bibles. The copy of South's Sermons is interesting, as it belonged to Dr. Johnson, and contains MS. notes for his Dictionary. DIMENSIONS Total length 371 ft. Length of nave 140 ft. Width of the nave and its aisles 67 ft. Width of the choir and aisles 66 ft. Width of the Lady Chapel 29 ft. Length of the transepts from north to south 149 ft. Height of the vaulting 57 ft. Height of the central spire 258 ft. Height of the two western spires 198 ft. Area 27,720 sq. ft. PRINCIPAL BUILDING DATES Early English (1220-1250)--Lower part of three west bays of choir and sacristy, south transept. (1250-1275)--Nave and aisles, central tower, chapter house, north and south doorways of transepts. Decorated (1275-1357)--Lady Chapel, west front, and west spires. Perpendicular--South window of south transept and vault, north window of west transept, some other windows, minstrels' gallery. (1661-1671)--Central tower, spire rebuilt. FOOTNOTE: [14] _Rot. Lit. Clans._, 19, Henry III.; quoted by Britton and Murray. CHESTER CATHEDRAL