CONSTRUCTION IX. THE CAPITAL 149

into actual contact. If there be any awkwardness in the junction, it is concealed by the decoration, and one abacus serves, in most cases, for all. The double group, Fig. 27, is the simplest possible type of the arrangement. In the richer Northern Gothic groups of eighteen or twenty shafts cluster together, and sometimes the smaller shafts crouch under the capitals of the larger, and hide their heads in the crannies, with small nominal abaci of their own, while the larger shafts carry the serviceable abacus of the whole pier, as in the nave of Rouen. There is, however, evident sacrifice of sound principle in this

system, the smaller abaci being of no use. They are the exact contrary of the rude early abacus at Milan, given in Plate 17. There one poor abacus stretched itself out to do all the work: here there are idle abaci getting up into corners and doing none.

§ 27. Finally, we have considered the capitals hitherto entirely as an expansion of the bearing power of the shaft, supposing the shaft composed of a single stone. But, evidently, the capital has a function, if possible, yet more important, when the shaft is composed of small masonry. It enables all that masonry to act together, and to receive the

[Version 0.04: March 2008]