in those pier-arches of the work which have the dog-tooth. But the transverse vault-ribs throughout the remainder of this work, namely, the eastern transepts and Lady-chapel, have a projecting rib in their soffit, corresponding to the moldings of their pier-arches[74].” “The ribbed soffit, in fact, is confined to the portion of Early English work which is founded upon the open ground of the cemetery, and was capable of being erected complete, without disturbing any more of the existing Norman presbytery than the circumscribing aisle and radiating chapels. The hollow soffit, on the contrary, is used throughout the part of the Early English work, which is based upon the walls of that portion of the crypt which was allowed to remain. I conclude, therefore, that the ribbed soffit-work was begun in 1224, and carried on without disabling the Norman presbytery and the high altar; so that the services of the Church continued in their original place, until the completion of this first portion of the work made it necessary to pull down the Norman presbytery, and erect the hollow soffit-work in its room, by which the Early English structure was connected with the tower[75].” The _choir_, [Plate I.,] like all the cathedral eastward of the tower, has been restored under the direction of Mr. Perkins, architect to the Dean and Chapter. (A design has (1866) been supplied by Mr. G. G. Scott, for the stalls and fittings of the choir, a reredos and a western screen, to be of metal and wood combined. This, it is hoped, may soon be carried into execution.) The choir consists of five bays, the easternmost of which, in a line with the eastern transepts, is considerably wider than the others. The destruction of the Norman choir was not complete; a portion of its walls was allowed to remain; and in the present triforium, which extends over the aisles, Norman buttresses exist, of the same character as those in the triforium of the two western bays of the nave. Except at the southern surface of the north wall of the choir, however, where it joins the tower, whatever Norman masonry remained was entirely hidden by the rich Early English work of the new choir. This has been compared to the Early English of Salisbury Cathedral, begun in 1220, with which, no doubt, there is a certain general resemblance. On the other hand, Lincoln Cathedral--probably the first great Early English church built in England--was far advanced at the death of St. Hugh in 1200; and there are some peculiarities at Worcester--especially the ornamentation of the tympana in the triforium arches, and the sculpture in the spandrils of the wall-arcades--which strongly recall Lincoln. At any rate, Worcester Cathedral was one of the earliest churches in England built in the new style, which, there is much reason for believing, was invented by St. Hugh’s architect at Lincoln.