nons, ranged along the sides, are highly finished in stone; and the curiously wrought canopies are supported by small and elegant columns of the finest marble. The sides of the octagon, with the exception of that by which is the entrance from the north transept, are each adorned with a window, rich in stone-work and figured glass, rising from just above the stalls, and reaching to the roof.-All here is alike airy, noble, and elegant.-So well does this portion of the grand cathedral of York, merit the eulogium bestowed upon it by the monkish legend:

"Ut Rosa flos florum,

"Sic est domus ista domorum.

THE CHIEF OF HOUSES,

AS THE ROSE OF FLOWERS.

OXFORD.

Would Clio seek the most distinguished seat,
Most blest, where all is so sublimely blest,
That with superior grace o'erlooks the rest,
Like a rich gem in circling gold enshrined,
Where Isis' waters wind

Along the sweetest shore,

That ever felt fair Culture's hands,

Or Spring's embroidered mantle wore,→
Lo! where majestic OXFORD stands!

WARTON.

THE poet scarcely indulges in his allowed and legitimate license in this description. OxFORD, that city of palaces, delightfully seated on a gentle elevation, in the area of an amphitheatre of hills, presents a grand and interesting spectacle, from whichever of the neighbouring heights the spectator regards it. Its spires, its towers, and various public edifices, display the triumph of learning with a magnificence grateful to every beholder; while the rivers Isis and Charwell, encompassing it on three sides, ornament and enrich the circumjacent valley with meadows of the most luxuriant character, and the hills themselves stand as a wall to the city of the Muses, to ward from it every blast

that might prove inimical to the health and comfort of its inhabitants.

Nor is the visitor disappointed on a nearer observation. The approaches to Oxford are nearly all characteristically striking. That on the west is by a noble causeway, crossing in its way many elegant modern bridges;— on the north by a well-built street, more than two thousand feet long, and two hundred and forty-six broad, in which are two churches, and several public buildings, besides the venerable colleges of Balliol and St. John. But the entrance by the High Street is conspicuously fine, and derives an indescribable interest from the curved direction in which it is formed. Owing to this circumstance, a fresh display of architectural grandeur takes place at almost every step. While the sides. of this magnificent street are adorned by University, Queen's, and All Souls' Colleges, the embattled tower of Carfax church picturesquely closes one extremity, and a handsome bridge, in addition to the grand and lofty pinnacles of Magdalen College, completes the prospect at the opposite termination.

The assemblage of collegiate edifices in this. city, is known to every one to form its principal boast: they constitute in truth a rich treasure of ancient art, as justly the pride of the Oxo