Larger portions are cut off from the corners of the abacus, whose plan, thus modified, is shown in Fig. 28, while a section of the pier is shown in Fig. 29. Piers of similar section had occurred earlier in the choir of Noyon, and even in some
FIG.28.
Norman buildings, as in the transept of Ely in England; but in these cases they are not, as they plainly are in Paris, links in a chain of progress. This was, however, but a partial, and perhaps on the whole even a doubtful, improvement. It provided an independent support for the vaulting shafts, but left the 
FIG. 29. archivolts and the ribs of the aisle vaults without such supports. It had, moreover, an awkward appearance, and the abacus of the capital was still ill adjusted to its load. It was next seen that if the vaulting shafts were to have separate support in the lower pier, the other members of the superstructure ought to be supported in like manner. Accordingly in the seventh and westernmost pier this idea was carried out, and an almost perfect Gothic pier was constructed—a pier which furnished the type that was henceforth employed with many variations of proportion and detail, and which attained its
