casionally in the Tracery; a new principle, in fact,had made its appearance, which rapidly overran not onlythe windows, but the doorways, the arcades, and everypart of the building. The straight line, when once in-troduced, quickly superseded the curved line; squarepanels covered the walls ; angularity of form pervadedeven the mouldings and minor details, and to the roundfinish, the square edge was preferred.
This, the last of the four Periods of Gothic Archi-tecture which extended over a term of nearly two Cen-turies, we propose accordingly to call the rectilinearperiod.
The History of our National Architecture will thusbe divided into Seven Periods, the order and durationof which are as follows :—
ROMANESQUE.
A.D.
A.D.
YEARS.
I.
Saxon Period . . .
, from
—■
to
1066,
prevailed —
II.
Noiiman Period . .
• i)
1066
>>
1145,
79
III.
Transitional Period .
• i)
1145
1190,
„ 45
GOTHIC.
IV.
Lancet Period . . .
• »
1190
1245,
„ 55
V.
Geometrical Period .
• >J
1245
1315,
» 70
VI.
Curvilinear Period .
• )>
1315
1360,
45
VII.
Rectilinear Period .
• >>
1360
1550,
» loo
s