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Jones, and the other of Sir John Vans brugh's..

I CANNOT help making Ufe of that fine Diftich of Mr. Pope in his Effay on Criticifm, when he fpeaks of Men dif fering from themfelves at different Times, he fays, 23 od to adini

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As when the Wit of fome great Genius fhall So overflow, that is, be none at all. I

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103 Therefore at that Time Palladio might have a Superfluity or Overflowing of Ge nius. Preto Bet

BUT to return to the Practice of the Antients in raifing Buildings to a requir'd Height: They either erected the Orders on a Pedestal, or on a Ruftick Basement; or if that prov'd infufficient for its Magnitude, they plac'd an Attick over the Order: This has among the Antients been frequently practis'd, efpecially in their Triumphal Arches, which our Mo derns may be faid to have juftly imi tated.

THAT which I now principally aim at, is to have every one of you judge in I 2 this

this nice Crisis of Defigning for himself; for which Purpose I propose, for your Speculation, two of the greateft, the nobleft, and moft noted Buildings in the World; both erected in different Countries, both dedicated to the fame Ufe, and both the Glory and Ornaments of the greatest and most renown'd Cities in the Universe: I fay, those two Buildings St. Peter's at Rome, and St. Paul's, London, I place before you, as Patterns, to engage your Notice and decifive Judgment. St. Peter's at Rome had its firft Defign from Bramante, a famous Architect, who flourish'd in Italy about 250 Years fince; and receiv'd its laft Model from the great Michael Angelo, about 20 Years after the Decease of Bramante ; and both defign'd it, as it is now erected, with only one Order.

ST. PAUL's was the Design of our own Countryman and great Architect Sir Christopher Wren, a Genius, for the Principles of the Mathematicks and Architecture, univerfally esteem'd; but, I think, has fo far deviated from the Paths of his Pattern, St. Peter's, that he has thought proper to omit the Attick above the Ŏrder which is in St. Peter's, and has made

two

The Si

two Orders one over another. militude of the reft of the Parts, when you compare them, will, perhaps, give you a fingular Pleafure, beyond what I can defcribe, without delineating the Objects themselves, and placing them in that juft View which of yourselves you will undoubtedly take.

FROM this Point I might defcend to many general Obfervations of Form, Magnitude, and Proportion, and from thence to Situations, Materials, and Orders in particular; but as this Lecture has already intruded on your Patience, I fhall refer it to, perhaps, fome ensuing, when Time and Opportunity offers, and that it may be thought worthy your Notice.

GENTLEMEN, in a Defcription of this Kind, it is impoffible to make use of those florid Expreffions, those eloquent Descriptions and rhetorical Sentences, which might have been expected from me, in a Difcourfe of another Nature: Therefore the Defects in my Language, muft not be imputed to my want of Abilities in this Particular. I have only confulted the Genius of my Friends, the

Truth

Truth of my Affertions, and the Since rity of my Defires, in being acceffary to every good Office which may procure Knowledge; and if I mifs in my Defign, I hope the want of fuch Succefs will not be imputed to the want of Judgment, in one that at least meant well; who is likewife,

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Gentlemen,

Tour moft Humble Servant. :

Read to the Society, Dec. 31, 173,2.

LECTURE

LECTURE V.

GENTLEMEN,

A

T the Conclufion of my laft Lecture, (which was a Defcription of the Antient, the

Gothick, and our Modern Architecture) I propos'd to fhew you what kind of Situations fuit with the different Orders, and what kind of Proportions are to be used, for preferving a strict Regularity and Harmony; with fome useful Reflections on Examples of publick and private Buildings; in which the Application of the Orders, and Choice of Situation, are, or have not been confider'd by the Builder; which I now propofe to make the Subject of this Lec

ture.

WHEN I fpeak of Situation, it must not be fuppos'd that I mean proper Choice of it in Towns or Cities, where

every

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