[83-*] In the minute and circumstantial account which Gervase gives of the partial destruction of this cathedral by fire, A. D. 1174, and its after restoration, he seems to allude, though in obscure language, to the altered form of the vaulting in the aisles of the choir (_in circuitu extra chorum_); and his comparison, with reference to this building, between early and late Norman architecture is altogether so curious and exact as to deserve being transcribed:-- “Dictum est in superioribus quod post combustionem illam vetera fere omnia chori diruta sunt, et in quandam augustioris formæ transierunt novitatem. Nunc autem quæ sit operis utriusque differentia dicendum est. Pilariorum igitur tam veterum quam novorum una forma est, una et grossitudo, sed longitudo dissimilis. Elongati sunt enim pilarii novi longitudine pedum fere duodecim. In capitellis veteribus opus erat planum, in novis sculptura subtilis. Ibi in chori ambitu pilarii viginti duo, hic autem viginti octo. Ibi arcus et cætera omnia plana utpote sculpta secure et non scisello, his in omnibus fere sculptura idonea. Ibi columpna nulla marmorea, hic innumeræ. Ibi in circuitu extra chorum fornices planæ, hic arcuatæ sunt et clavatæ. Ibi murus super pilarios directus cruces a choro sequestrabat, hic vero nullo intersticio cruces a choro divisæ in unam clavem quæ in medio fornicis magnæ consistit, quæ quatuor pilariis principalibus innititur, convenire videntur. Ibi cœlum ligneum egregia pictura decoratum, hic fornix ex lapide et tofo levi decenter composita est. Ibi triforium unum, hic duo in choro, et in ala ecclesiæ tercium.”--De Combust. et Repar. Cant. Ecclesiæ. [Illustration: Doorway, Paulscray Church, Kent.] CHAPTER VI. OF THE EARLY ENGLISH STYLE. Q. During what era did the Early English style prevail? A. It may be said to have prevailed generally throughout the thirteenth century[86-*]. Q. How is it distinguished from the Norman and Semi-Norman styles? A. The semicircular-headed arch, with its peculiar mouldings, was almost entirely discarded, and superseded by the pointed arch, with plain chamfered edges or mouldings of a different character. The segmental arch, nearly flat, was still however used in doorways, and occasionally the semicircular also, as in the arches of the Retrochoir, Chichester Cathedral. Q. Of what three kinds were the pointed arches of this era? A. The lancet, the equilateral, and the obtuse-angled arch. Q. Which of these arches were most in use?