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Dugdale’sHijiory of St.l’aul’s id Edit ,P- * 53 -

THE LIFE OF

" 'Thieves) Tou, (with other Gentlemen and myself) were by King Charles," named Commissioners to survey the Dilapidations, and to make Report to his“ Majesty, in order to a speedy Reparation ; you will not, I am sure, forget" the Struggle we had with some, who were for patching it up any how,“ (so the Steeple might stand) instead of new building, which it altogether" needed: when (to put an End to the Contest) five Days after that dreadful“ Conflagration happen’d; out of whose JJhcs this Phœnix (new St. Paul’s) is“ risen, and was by Providence design'd for you.

The great and dreadful Fire of London which began the ad of September,Anno 1666, conlum’d the greatest Part of the City3 the parochial Churcheswere destroy’d, and the ancient Cathedral of St. Paid miserably fhatter’d, anddemolisli’d ; the Roof fell down, and with a mighty Force broke throughthose Vaults, call’d the Undercroft , &c. The first Thing design’d after thisdeplorable Fire, was to fit some Part of the Church, thus ruin’d, for a Quire ;wherein the Dean and Prebends might have divine Service, until the Repair ofthe whole, or a new Structure could be accompliffi’d : To which End, upona View thereof, it was refolv’d, that Part of the Body of it, towards the West-end, might, with the least Charge, be made useful for that Purpose. Where-upon Workmen were set upon it, and Scaffolds rais’d for Search of the Walls,and cutting the Remainder of the unmelted Lead from the high Roof, andother Parts of the Church.

In which Employment, as also in digging up the melted Lead, clearingthe Rubbish, taking down the Remainder of the vaulted Roof and Walls, withthe greatest Part of the Tower-steeple, digging up the Floors, sorting theStone, and carrying it to several Places, repairing the Convocation-houfe, andbuilding new Offices for the Work; no less than two Years, (viz, the rest ofthe Year 1666, the whole Year 1667, and Part of the Year 1668) werespent. Towards the latter End of which two Years, they fell to casing someof those great and massy Pillars, which stood betwixt the middle Aile, and theside Ailes; beginning with those below the little North-door, towards theWest: But before the third Pillar was perfectly cased, so weak and unsoundhad the excessive Heat of the Fire left it, with the remaining Pillars and Walls,which were all miserably scaled with the Flame, and shatter’d 3 that upon far-ther Search into them, they were found to be altogether uncapable of an/substantial Repair : It was therefore fully concluded, that, in order to a neV''Fabrick, the Foundations of the old Cathedral, thus made ruinous, should betotally clear’d 3 and Preparation of Materials, and all Things needful madeready, conducing to a new Fabrick. Which Work continu’d until the last ot./lpril 1674.

The State of the old Fabrick after the Fire ; the unsuccessful Attempts torepair the Ruins, with the Defects of Inigo Jones’ s Work, are farther explain’din the following Transcript of a Letter from the Rev. Dr. William SancrofUthen Dean of St. Paul’s 3 afterwards (viz. 1677.) Arch-biffiop of Canterbury •

‘To my worthy Friend Dr. Christopher Wren, Profejsor of jffirO'nomy in Oxford, April 25, 1668.

S J R,

S he said of old, Prudentia efl quœdam divinatio, so Science (at th®j|_ Height you are Master of it) is prophetick too. What you whisper^I,, mv Ear at your last coming hither, is now come to pass. Our Work f.the West-end of St. Paul’s is fallen about our Ears. Your quick Eye discernthe Walls and Pillars gone off from their Perpendiculars, and I believe oth efDefects too, which are now expos’d to every common Observer.

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