3 °°

•THE LIFE OF

find it rather better than the South-side ; for it is the Vicissitudes of Heat andCold, Drought and Moisture, that rot all Materials more than the Extremi-ties that are constant, of any of these Accidents: this is manifest in Timber,which, if always under Ground and wet, never decays, otherwise Venice andAmjlerdam would fall: it is the fame in Lead^work, for the North-side of asteep Roof is usually much less decayed than the South ; and the fame is com-monly seen in Stone Work : besides, the Buttresses here are more substantialthan those of the South-side, which I complained before were indiscreetly al-tered for the sake of the Cloyster; and I find some Emendations have beenmade about eighty Years since, but not well. Upon the whole Matter I mayfay, that of the necessary Repairs of the outward Stone Work, one third Partis already compleated. The most dangerous Part of the Vaulting over theQuire now in Eland will be finished in a few Months, but the Roof over itcannot be opened till Summer. The Repairs of the StoneWork, with all theChapels, Arch-buttresses, Windows, and Mouldings of the North-side are yetto be done, excepting Part of the North-crofs Aile : a great Part of the Ex-pence will be in the North Front, and the great Rose Window there, whichbeing very ruinous, was patched up for the present to prevent further Ruin, someYears since, before I was concerned, but must now be new done: I have pre-pared a proper Design for it. The Timber of the Roof of the Nave, and theCross, is amended and secured with the Lead ; and also the Chapels: but thewhole Roof, and Ailes from the Tower Westward, with Lead and Pipes tobe new-cast, remains yet, with all the Timber Work, to be mended, as hathbeen done Eastward of the Tower already. The Chapels on the North-sidemust have their Roofs amended, when we can fee how to come at them, afterthe Removal of one little House.

And now having given a summary Account of what will perfect the meerRepairs, let me add what I wish might be done to render those Parts witha proper Aspect, which were left abruptly imperfect by the last Builders, whenthe Monastery was dissolved by King Henry the Eighth. The West-front isvery requisite to be finished, because the two Towers are not of equal Height,and too low for the Bells, which hang so much lower than the Roof, that tlievare not heard so far as they should be : the great West-window is also toofeeble, and the Gabel-end of the Roof over it, is but Weather-boards painted.

The original Intention was plainly to have had a Steeple, the Beginningsof which appear on the Corners of the Cross, but left off before it rose so highas the Ridge of the Roof; and the Vault of the Quire under it, is only Lathand Plaister, now rotten, and must be taken care of.

Lest it should be doubted, whether the four Pillars below, be able to bear aSteeple, because they seem a little swayed inward, I have considered hoWthey may be unquestionably secured, so as to support the greatest Weight thatneed be laid upon them ; and this after a Manner that will add to their Shapeand Beauty.

It is manifest to the Eye, that the four innermost Pillars of the Cross arebended inward considerably, and seem to tend to Ruin, and the Arches ofthe second Order above are cracked also : how this has happened, and hoWit is to be secured, I shall demonstrate.

I conceive the Architect knew very well, that the four Pillars above theIntersection of the Cross-nave would not prove a sufficient Butment to standagainst the Pressure of so many Arches, unless they were very much biggerthan the other Piers; but that could not be without cumbering up the prin-cipal Part of the Church : but tho’ these angular Pillars could not be madebigger, yet they could be made heavier to stand against the Pressure of the se-veral

T(